Chinese Paktong Opium Lamp

This fine opium lamp is of paktong (baitong) that has been chased and engraved. The base has six rounded sides. Each is chased with a long-life roundel, surrounded by five bat motifs, then four Daoist motifs, all within a key-fret border. Each of the broader roundels has an enamelled background, including of pink, green and yellow enamel.

The pierced guard around the wick area is decorated with Chinese key fretwork. The shoulder of the lamp is engraved variously with small birds and flowers.

The lamp is accompanied by its glass chimney.

This actual lamp is illustrated in Bertholet (2007, p. 153).

Small lamps such as this were integral to opium smoking. A small ball of opium would be balanced over a tiny aperture in a much larger opium pipe. The user would then tilt the head of the pipe so that it would heat the opium block so that it would being to vapourise. The fumes would then be drawn down into the pipe.

Paktong (a corruption of the the Cantonese baitong, or ‘white copper’) is an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc, and is an alloy that has been used in China for centuries.

The lamp base and glass chimney are all in very good condition.