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GILDED BRASS OPIUM PIPE NEEDLE WITH POPPY POD FINIAL
Origin: China
Date: Late 19th–early 20th century
Materials: Gilded brass
Dimensions: Appro 16 × 2.5 cm
Description:
Gilded brass needle used in the preparation and cleaning of opium pipes. Its sharp, tapered point allowed smokers to manipulate the opium pellet within the pipe bowl or clear residue from the narrow airway. The handle is topped with a delicately crafted poppy pod finial, a direct reference to the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and the source of the drug.
Origin: China
Date: Late 19th–early 20th century
Materials: Gilded brass
Dimensions: Appro 16 × 2.5 cm
Description:
Gilded brass needle used in the preparation and cleaning of opium pipes. Its sharp, tapered point allowed smokers to manipulate the opium pellet within the pipe bowl or clear residue from the narrow airway. The handle is topped with a delicately crafted poppy pod finial, a direct reference to the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and the source of the drug.
