Bowl of an opium pipe made of agate. The circular rim which connects the bowl to the ‘saddle’ of an opium pipe is missing. Opium bowls usually had a metal attachment which connected the bowl to the pipe ‘saddle’ and occasionally this is missing because it was made of silver which was often removed to be sold. When smoking opium, a blob of opium was placed on the top of the bowl and a hole was pricked through the opium to the small hole in the bowl to allow the smoke to pass through when it was heated over an ‘opium lamp’. The bowl dates from the end of the Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period (1912 – 1947). Height 3.7 cm. Width at the top 4.7 cm. Weight 45 grams.