A bidri brass and silver-inlaid pandan, India, Deccan, 17th century

Ex-Pierre Jordan-Barry Collection, Paris

Francesca Galloway, London, 2013, acquired by Edith Welch

J.P. Losty, A Prince's Eye, Imperial Mughal Paintings from a Princely Collection, Art from the Indian Courts, 2013, London, cat.no.16, pp.106-7

The term ‘bidri’ is used to describe metalwork which is produced using a technique found only in India. Objects are cast from an alloy of which zinc is a predominant metal, with copper and tin added, often with a varying amount of lead. The surface is usually inlaid with silver and brass, at rare occasions with gold and gilded silver. After the inlaid decoration, a saline mud paste is applied which when removed imparts a smooth matte black colour to the metal surface.

The origins of bidri are linked with the Bahmani sultanate of the Deccan and mainly associated with the city of Bidar which was part of the Bahmani kingdom and its capital in the 15th century. The earliest known items of bidriware have been dated to the late 16th or early 17th century and are still being produced in Bidar and Hyderabad. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Muslim and Hindu craftsmen began producing bidri objects in centres such as Lucknow and Banaras in Uttar Pradesh, Purnea in Bihar, and Murshidabad in West Bengal, amongst others.

The chewing of betel, or pan (also spelled paan), has a long history in India and other parts of South Asia. Usually consumed after meals, pan consists of small pieces of betel nut usually mixed with lime paste and spices and wrapped in a betel leaf. Consumption of pan was part of court etiquette and enjoyed by the ruling class and the aristocracy. It was considered an honour to be offered pan at a durbar gathering in the presence of the ruler. The term pandan means a container for betel. In later eighteenth and nineteenth century pandans, the container has compartments for the various ingredients that go into the making of the pan. However, 17th century pandans, such as the present piece, are known to be smaller with no internal sections because they were only used to hold the prepared and rolled pan.

The elegant forms of 17th century bidriware are based on Persian, Mughal and Deccani prototypes. The inlaid decoration is usually floral and arranged within narrow bands of geometric motifs. For illustrated examples of 17th century bidri pandans, see Zebrowski 1997, nos.447-454. The containers are polygonal or round in form, some with sloping walls, and with detached domed lids. The scrolling floral decoration on our pandan can be compared with nos.453 and 454.