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Crafts / Bidriware

Bidriware

State
Karnataka
Material
Zinc-copper alloy · Silver
Rarity
Rare

Silver that shines against black metal

About

Black metal pieces inlaid with silver designs, a craft born in the Deccan courts at Bidar.

Bidriware is a metal craft from the city of Bidar in northern Karnataka, which is still its chief centre. A piece is cast in an alloy that is mostly zinc with a little copper, engraved with a design, inlaid with silver, and then blackened, so that the silver pattern shines against a deep black background. The name comes from Bidar.

The makers are metalworkers working in small workshops where casting, engraving, inlaying and finishing are done by different hands or by one skilled craftsman. The craft is practised mainly in Bidar, and in Hyderabad in Telangana.

Bidri was made for the courts and for people of means as hookah bases, paan boxes, vases and trays. Today, makers also produce bowls, jewellery boxes, earrings, trays and showpieces. The motifs are mostly floral and geometric, and verses in Arabic script are also used.

How it’s made

Bidriware is made through a long chain of steps. First a mould is made from clay-like soil softened with castor oil and resin, and molten alloy of zinc with a little copper is poured in. After casting, the piece is filed smooth. It is then coated with a copper sulphate solution that darkens the surface temporarily, so that the design, drawn freehand with a metal stylus, can be seen clearly.

The craftsman then engraves the design with small chisels and a hammer. Fine silver wire, or flattened silver strips, is hammered into these grooves; this is the tarkashi (wire inlay) technique. In the related tainishan technique, sheets of silver are inlaid, and in zarnishan and zarbuland the design is raised in low or high relief. Most pieces combine two or more of these.

The piece is then filed, buffed and smoothened until the silver is level with the surface. The final blackening is done by rubbing a paste made from ammonium chloride and special soil taken from the old Bidar fort onto the heated surface, which turns the alloy black but leaves the silver untouched. A final rubbing with oil deepens the matt black finish, and the silver design stands out.

Key features

  • Cast zinc-based alloy with a little copper, blackened
  • Pure silver wire or sheet hammered into engraved grooves
  • Tarkashi, tainishan, zarnishan, zarbuland and aftabi techniques
  • Blackening with a paste of ammonium chloride and soil from the Bidar fort
  • Floral, geometric and Arabic-script motifs
  • Made in Bidar and Hyderabad
  • GI-registered craft of Karnataka (2006)

History

Bidriware is usually traced to the Bahmani sultans who ruled from Bidar in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The craft is understood to have drawn on Persian metalwork, and accounts commonly say that a craftsman from Iran, Abdullah bin Kaiser, was brought to Bidar by Sultan Ahmed Shah Bahmani to decorate the royal buildings and worked with local craftsmen. These accounts vary in detail, but all describe a mix of Persian, Turkish, Arab and local styles.

The craft continued under the Barid Shahi rulers and later patrons, and it spread to other places such as Lucknow, Purnea and Murshidabad. It is now produced in Bidar and Hyderabad. Bidriware obtained a Geographical Indication (GI) registration in January 2006.

In modern times the number of workshops has been small, and the craft depends on awards, government support and tourists to survive. Several Bidri artisans have received national honours, which has helped draw attention to a craft that is easy to overlook in a world of cheaper metal souvenirs.

Facts

  • Bidar soil Soil from the fort. Bidri artisans traditionally blacken their work with soil taken from the old fort in Bidar. The soil is rich in nitrates, which help to darken the alloy while leaving the silver bright.
  • 2006 GI registration. Bidriware was registered as a Geographical Indication on 3 January 2006.
  • 8 stages An eight-stage process. Moulding, smoothing by file, designing, engraving, silver inlay, smoothing again, buffing and final blackening are the stages a Bidri piece goes through.
  • Persian terms Techniques with Persian names. Names such as tarkashi (wire inlay), tainishan (sheet inlay), zarnishan and zarbuland (low and high relief) reflect the craft's Persian influence.

Market

From court objects to gifts and collectables

Bidri was once made for hookahs and paan holders. Today it is sold as bowls, trays, boxes, vases, jewellery and showpieces. The silver content and the hand-engraved detail make good pieces expensive compared with ordinary metal ware, and imitation pieces made by electroplating or painting exist. Buying from Bidar workshops or crafts emporia helps ensure authenticity.

Sustainability

Reused metal, but demanding to make

Bidri uses cast alloy and small amounts of silver, and workshops can reuse scrap metal. The craft is labour- and skill-intensive and depends on a small number of workshops, so its main sustainability issue is passing the skills on to a new generation.

Products

  • Hookah bases and paan boxes: The traditional court objects
  • Vases and bowls: Cast and engraved, with silver inlay
  • Trays and coasters: Flat pieces that show the inlay clearly
  • Jewellery and ornament boxes: Earrings, pendants and keepsake boxes
  • Showpieces: Decorative figures and objects

Words to know

  • Tarkashi: Inlay of fine silver wire into engraved grooves.
  • Tainishan: Inlay of silver sheets.
  • Zarnishan: A design in low relief.
  • Zarbuland: A design in high relief.
  • Aftabi: A cut-out design in overlaid metal sheet.
  • Asharfi-ki-booti: A traditional floral motif.

Try it yourself

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