Ewer
c. 1855 (made)
| Place of origin |
This ewer was acquired by the Indian Museum in London in 1855 and transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879. It was made in Bidar, in the Deccan, shortly before its acquisition, and is an example of the metal technique thought to have originated in that city and from which it takes its name. Bidri ware describes objects made from a zinc alloy and decorated with silver. The final stage of the manufacturing process involves covering the entire object with a mud paste: when removed shortly afterwards, the dull grey of the alloy has been changed to a matt black but the silver remains unchanged.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Domestic, bidri, Hyderabad |
| Physical description | The ewer has a compressed globular body, sinuous handle terminating in a volute and strate ribbed spout. It has a circular pedestal foot and domed cover terminating in a lotus bud knop. the decoration is of poppies in oval panels on the body, and poppies or scrolling lines on the rest of the outer surface, all overlaid in silver. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Object history | Acquired by the Indian Museum in 1855, probably from the Paris exhibition of that year. Transferred to South Kensington Museum in 1879 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This ewer was acquired by the Indian Museum in London in 1855 and transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879. It was made in Bidar, in the Deccan, shortly before its acquisition, and is an example of the metal technique thought to have originated in that city and from which it takes its name. Bidri ware describes objects made from a zinc alloy and decorated with silver. The final stage of the manufacturing process involves covering the entire object with a mud paste: when removed shortly afterwards, the dull grey of the alloy has been changed to a matt black but the silver remains unchanged. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 02950(IS) |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
