Unknown
Traycirca l650-l700

Not on view

No image

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Tray
Place Made: India, Karnataka, Bidar
Date Made: circa l650-l700
Medium: Bidri ware (tarkashi and tehnishan techniques)
Dimensions: H: 1 1/2 in (3.81 cm) x Diam. 17 3/4 in. (45.095 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.160
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: Bidri-ware is a type of inlaid metalware unique to India. Historically, it was produced in the Deccan and eastern India, including a variant in Lucknow. Bidri-ware is made from a predominately zinc-based alloy, along with smaller amounts of lead, copper, and/or tin. The wide range of cast objects are finished with inlaid ornamentation produced through several varying and often combined techniques and materials. Most bidri-ware is adorned by inlaying sheets or strands of wire made of precious metals; typically silver, but also gold or brass until the early 18th century. The inlaid designs are then rendered flush and burnished, except for Lucknow bidri-ware which features raised designs. Another major method of bidri-ware ornamentation entails a sheet of silver being overlaid onto the surface of the base metal and designs are then cut out in silhouette.

This exceptionally large bidri-ware tray (thali) displays elaborate, primarily geometric silver and brass ornamentation. It is made principally in a combination of sheet inlay and overlay techniques, with additional wire inlay. It has a central medallion with two rings of floral and foliate motifs, including stylized acanthus leaves alternating with poppy or carnation flowers in the outer register. Radiating outward from the medallion is an intricate pattern of concentric zig-zag bands embellished with scrolling vines. The tray is edged with a raised crenulated rim adorned with flame-like designs. Reportedly now in a European private collection, a large hookah base with matching decoration was originally paired with the tray.

Dating from c. 1650-1700, the tray is the earliest bidri-ware object in LACMA’s collection. It is also the most intricate in its design conception and execution. The strong geometric nature of the tray's decoration is reflective of its early date, for an emphasis on Mughal-style floral imagery soon supplanted the earlier design preferences, especially for works made for the Mughal market.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.
Sanfrani, Shehbaz H., ed. Golconda and Hyderabad. Bombay: Marg Publications, 1992.
Markel, Stephen. Mughal and Early Modern Metalware from South Asia at LACMA: An Online Scholarly Catalogue. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2020. https://archive.org/details/mughal-metalware (accessed September 7, 2021).

Related Unframed

Unknown
Traycirca l650-l700

Not on view

No image

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Tray
Place Made: India, Karnataka, Bidar
Date Made: circa l650-l700
Medium: Bidri ware (tarkashi and tehnishan techniques)
Dimensions: H: 1 1/2 in (3.81 cm) x Diam. 17 3/4 in. (45.095 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.160
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: Bidri-ware is a type of inlaid metalware unique to India. Historically, it was produced in the Deccan and eastern India, including a variant in Lucknow. Bidri-ware is made from a predominately zinc-based alloy, along with smaller amounts of lead, copper, and/or tin. The wide range of cast objects are finished with inlaid ornamentation produced through several varying and often combined techniques and materials. Most bidri-ware is adorned by inlaying sheets or strands of wire made of precious metals; typically silver, but also gold or brass until the early 18th century. The inlaid designs are then rendered flush and burnished, except for Lucknow bidri-ware which features raised designs. Another major method of bidri-ware ornamentation entails a sheet of silver being overlaid onto the surface of the base metal and designs are then cut out in silhouette.

This exceptionally large bidri-ware tray (thali) displays elaborate, primarily geometric silver and brass ornamentation. It is made principally in a combination of sheet inlay and overlay techniques, with additional wire inlay. It has a central medallion with two rings of floral and foliate motifs, including stylized acanthus leaves alternating with poppy or carnation flowers in the outer register. Radiating outward from the medallion is an intricate pattern of concentric zig-zag bands embellished with scrolling vines. The tray is edged with a raised crenulated rim adorned with flame-like designs. Reportedly now in a European private collection, a large hookah base with matching decoration was originally paired with the tray.

Dating from c. 1650-1700, the tray is the earliest bidri-ware object in LACMA’s collection. It is also the most intricate in its design conception and execution. The strong geometric nature of the tray's decoration is reflective of its early date, for an emphasis on Mughal-style floral imagery soon supplanted the earlier design preferences, especially for works made for the Mughal market.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.
Sanfrani, Shehbaz H., ed. Golconda and Hyderabad. Bombay: Marg Publications, 1992.
Markel, Stephen. Mughal and Early Modern Metalware from South Asia at LACMA: An Online Scholarly Catalogue. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2020. https://archive.org/details/mughal-metalware (accessed September 7, 2021).