Jug Shaped Flower Vase - Bidri Wire Work

Details

You may have seen flower vases and pots in various shapes and sizes that are not only alluring but unique pieces to own as well. The Jug Shaped Flower Vase - Bidri Wire Work is one such unique artefact hand-thrown in a strikingly pleasant shape to resemble a water-jug. It creates a beautiful spectacle with a unique shape and a contrasting effect that adds to its visual appeal.

If you are a fan of vintage-themed products that are able to enhance the look and feel of their surroundings to greater extents go for this brilliantly handcrafted Jug Shaped Flower Vase Bidri Wire Work.

Just like other Bidriware products, this one too is handcrafted from the alloy of zinc and copper and engraved with stylish motifs that are etched on the dark surface using pure silver. So, apart from it being an amazingly gorgeous Bidri product, the vase is also a precious artefact for the explicit use of pure silver metal in an exquisite wire work design a sure charmer.

About Bidri Art

The Bidri Art is identified as one of the most popular metal handicrafts that originated in Bidar region of Karnataka. It was first introduced during the rule of the Bahamani Sultans in around 14th century C.E. The township of Bidar lends the art its name Bidriware and it is still a prominent centre for crafting intriguing metallic products.

The handmade Bidri products are valued as a symbol of wealth. The metal used in Bidri products is a blackened alloy copper and zinc inlaid with fine sheets of pure silver metal. The fine motifs and the wirework with which Bidriware is laced, gives the products a unique definition altogether. Moreover, Bidri handicraft products are in great demand in the export market due to its gorgeous inlay work.

Procedure

Unique Bidriware products are handcrafted from an alloy of copper and zinc by casting in the ratio 1:16. While the zinc content gives the alloy a rich jet black colour, copper provides it with a noticeable lustre and robustness.

A mould of soil is made malleable by adding resin and castor oil. After the molten metal has been poured into this mould, the cast piece is smoothened by filing for a shiny look and feel. This casting is coated with a concentrated solution of copper sulphate that provides it with a temporary black coating on which the designs are etched freehand.

The designs are usually the typical poppy flowers and vine creepers, stars and Ashrafi-ki-booti. Some may also feature traditional motifs in the form of Arabic script or the Persian Rose.

The casting is then securely placed in a clamp to engrave it with intricate motifs using small chisels. Its grooves are then carefully hammered with flattened strips of pure silver metal or fine wires for a desired look  

Before the Bidriware artefact could be sold out in the market it is filed, chiselled, polished and smoothened to remove deformities caused due to the black coating. This process results in a strikingly noticeable silver inlay shining on a dark metallic background.

Region

The art of Bidri handicraft is widely practised in Bidar, Karnataka as well as in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Purnia in Bihar, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Murshidabad in West Bengal are few of the other regions of the country that produce excellent Bidri products.