Bohemian Enameled Glass Column Hookah – 19th Century. Provenance: Painter's Workshop

Bohemian glass column hookah with enamel – 19th century. Provenance: workshop of the painter Léon Brunard (1872-1931). An elegant and rare column hookah in deep ruby-colored Bohemian glass, richly hand-decorated with polychrome enamels and gilt highlights in an Orientalist style very characteristic of the second half of the 19th century. The body, blown from intense ruby glass, features a remarkable decoration of stylized scrolls, cartouches, and delicately enameled floral motifs in pastel tones. The whole is enhanced by gilt work forming arabesques and neo-Oriental motifs of great finesse. The base rests on a wide, scalloped ruby glass saucer, also decorated with floral motifs and gilt scrolls, echoing the same decorative vocabulary and creating a particularly harmonious and decorative ensemble. The upper frame and tray are made of patinated metal, with amber-like hose mouthpieces, typical of this type of object in the 19th century. This piece also holds particular historical interest: it appears in an old photograph showing the studio of the painter Léon Brunard (1872-1931). The hookah is clearly visible on the mantelpiece, to the left of the artist, as he works at his workbench on a small enameled vase. This presence in his studio lends the object an artistic provenance and added charm. Note: The base saucer has an old, stable repair with staples, visible on the underside. There are also some small chips and losses to the mounting bases, signs of wear consistent with the age of the object. Both decorative and evocative of the Orientalist taste that swept through 19th-century Europe, this Bohemian glass hookah is now a rare piece, prized by both antique glass enthusiasts and collectors interested in the history of Léon Brunard's workshop. Period: 19th century. Bohemian glass, enameled and gilded.