Blue and Green Cloisonné Opium Pipe

Finely crafted pipes such as this were frequently given a place of honor on the desks of Qing-dynasty scholars. Such pipes were considered precious enough to earn a distinguished position beside the four treasures of the study: paper, ink, ink stones, and calligraphy brushes. This pipe is beautifully decorated with blue and green cloisonné enamel in a lotus pattern, flanked at either end by a tiny brass frog. A keepsake from a bygone era, this brass pipe has an elegant sculptural presence, displayed simply on a custom steel mount.