Two square Bidri ware trays, made of patinated zinc alloy inlaid with silver. Each plate has four feet. One depicts the Hindu deities Surya and Savitri riding a chariot drawn by six horses amid floral scrolling, and the other depicts Brahma in a cross-legged position riding a bird.
Dr Stronge said that she had never seen bidri wear with Hindu motifs on it. It tends to be a Muslim craft. This piece looks late, not much earlier than the accession date of 1898. The National Museum in Delhi has two examples of Bidri wear with Hindu motifs, both discussed in Lal, 1990. However these examples are much older and stylistically very different, depicting narratives rather than a single deity. (See fig.171, p138 Acc. No. 85.12 ans 56.150/6).
