idri Ware – A Magic in Black and Silver

Bidriware is a renowned metal handicraft that derives its name from Bidar, presently in Karnataka. It was believed to have originated in 14th century AD during the reign of Bahamani Sultans.
A brief History:
During the early 15th century, Bidri artefacts were initially reserved specifically for temples in Bijapur, Karnataka, a city in southern India. Production was later amplified by the provision of security under the royal patronage of ‘Ala’audin Ahmad Bahamani II, leader of Bidar in Andhra Pradesh from 1436–1458 (Patel, Citation2015). It is thought that Sultan Ahmed Shah Bahmani (ruled 1422–1436) hired a famous craftsman from Iran, Abdullah Bin Kaiser, to decorate the royal palaces and courts in Bidar. During the rule of Sultan Ahmed Shah Bahmani, Bidar subsequently appears to have grown into a thriving centre for metalware artisans and what would later be known as Bidriware (Mokashi, Citation2021).
 
The work in this particular piece is very fine and detaild. 

5X3.5 inches, 517 gm.