Opium Lamp

Chinese culture had a longstanding love affair with all things opium beginning in the 8th century, when people began to use it as a medicinal cure. By the 19th century, smoking opium recreationally became an entire culture unto itself, replete with beautifully crafted paraphernalia such as this opium lamp. Adorned with delicate metal fretwork and an exquisitely detailed cloisonné floral design, the oil lamp was designed specifically to facilitate the vaporization and inhalation of opium.