A Gentleman’s Leisure Art Print

This 1799 colored etching by François Balthazar Solvyns captures a moment of quiet indulgence—a man reclining on a cushioned balcony, drawing smoke from a traditional narial (coconut) hookah. The setting, with its airy veranda and draped canopy, suggests a place of relaxation, possibly in a nobleman’s home or a merchant’s residence in Calcutta.

The narial hookah was a distinctive Indian smoking apparatus, with a base often crafted from a hollowed-out coconut shell, topped with a metal bowl, and connected to an elegantly curved stem. Used for centuries across the subcontinent, the hookah was a social and meditative pastime, enjoyed by men of various ranks.

These prints are printed on a fine quality ivory paper.

These are reproductions of old illustrations & in most cases will have the same imperfections as the original.