This leaf-shaped tray is characteristic of bidri metalwork, named after the city Bidar. A zinc alloy applied to the body with a special dark paste enhances the brilliance of the inlaid silver. Moore was fascinated with mixed and inlaid metal techniques; the dense floral composition of stylized poppies with its striking contrast between dark and shimmering silver tones undoubtedly inspired designs he and his staff created at Tiffany.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Tray
Date:second half 18th–19th century
Geography:Attributed to India, Deccan, probably Hyderabad
Medium:Zinc alloy; cast, engraved, inlaid with silver (bidri ware)
Dimensions:Max. H. 1 9/16 in. (4 cm) Max. L. 11 3/16 in. (28.4 cm) Max. W. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm)
Classification:Metal
Credit Line:Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
Accession Number:91.1.539
Tray
Evoking the form of a leaf, this small, flat plate stands on five legs with leaf-shaped feet. Its overall decoration consists of three concentric sections filled with stylized poppies: flower heads and leaves alternating on the rim, complete blossoms on the middle band, and a bouquet-like arrangement at the center. Poppy flowers, a leitmotif of Indian art, commonly appear in stylized renderings on the inlaid metalwork known as bidri ware after the city of Bidar, in the Deccan region.[1] In this tray, the naturalistic but still stylized rendering and dense patterning point to a subsequent phase of the craft, which developed in the later eighteenth and the nineteenth century.[2]
While the motifs, decorative repertoire, and style of bidri ware changed over time, the same materials and technique remained as the basis of its characteristic contrasting colors. The objects were made by applying a zinc and brass alloy to the body with a special paste that rendered the surface even darker, enhancing the sheen and brilliance of the inlaid metal of silver and/or brass. As is typical of artworks from the Islamic world, utilitarian objects—here a tray to serve food—were rendered through the medium of inlaid metalwork into refined artworks. Moore’s fascination with mixed and inlaid metals explains his interest in this tray, while the dense floral composition with its contrast between dark and bright silver tones may have inspired his own designs for Tiffany.
Deniz Beyazit in [Higgins Harvey 2021]
Footnotes:
1. On bidri ware, see Stronge, Susan. Bidri Ware: Inlaid Metalwork from India. London: Victoria and Albert Museum. 1985; Mittal, Jagdish. Bidri Ware and Damascene Work in Jagdish and Kamal Mittal Museum of Indian Art. Hyderabad: Jagdish and Kamal Mittal Museum of Indian Art, 2011; John Robert Alderman. "Bidri Ware" in Haidar, Navina Najat and Marika Sardar. Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700. Opulence and Fantasy. With contributions by John Robert Alderman et al. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015, pp. 181–93, nos. 81–83, 85–95; Marika Sardar in Haidar and Sardar 2015 [ibid], pp. 184–85, no. 84.
2. See Mittal 2011 (note 1), pp. 94–95, 104–5, 128–29, 140–41.
Edward C. Moore (American), New York (until d. 1891; bequeathed to MMA)
Beyazit, Deniz, Maryam Ekhtiar, and Sheila R. Canby. Collecting Inspiration : Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co., edited by Medill Higgins Harvey. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2021. no. 116, pp. 181–82, ill.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Islamic art is one of the most comprehensive in the world and ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions from Spain to Indonesia.
