[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by freebooter

Bidri work involves the carving/chiseling of surfaces as does Zar Buland.
My understanding is the Bidri applications are finished flush with the surface of the object and the Zar Buland is raised well above the surface.

Ah, good catch Gav,

A quick google found:
"Another variant of the bidriwork can be seen in Lucknow’s Zar Buland, where the ornamental designs are raised above the surface"

I didn't know the name for this variation of Bidri.
So what would the name be if the incised foils technique is used on steel?

Here's an interesting description of the process from a maker in India:

"One of the celebrated craft works in the deccan india, bidri of karnataka is one of the most famous arts.bidriware is an ancient art of india that dates back to 14th century - an era of affluent bahmani and baridi dynasties in bidar, karnataka. and it continues to flourish even today. with time the expertise has spread to other regions in india like uttar pradesh, bihar, and west bengal, but the heart of the art still lies in the same historic town. artisans living in bidar region have treasured this rare craftsmanship for centuries. you can find the streets of bidar bustling with incredibly beautiful handicraft of bidriware - a magnificent symbol of prosperity and artistic taste.

The bidri skill and technique came to india in the 14th century from iran or persia of that time. sultan ahmed shah wali was enchanted with beauty of this unique work and decided to bring the form to india. he persuaded the master artisan abdullah bin kaiserand several other artisans to come to india. they carried on their mastery on the decorations of the royal places and havelis. more impressed, the sultan fell in love with the bidri style and organized training centers to enable the local artisan to learn the art. many talented craftsmen benefited from those training centers and they developed into masters of bidriware, spreading the art to every corner of the region.

Process of making bidriware.

The process of making bidriware is long, intricate, and enduring.the first step involves casting which is done in moulds of special soil of bidar. the red soil is made malleable by mixing caster oil and resin. once the mould is ready, the molten alloy of zinc and copper is poured into the mold. and then the article is smoothened with files and scrapes.

Next step involves a black coating and designing. the design is etched free hand first and later sharp and small chisels are used to carve out the design. it requires ultimate control over carving to fuel life into the designs. the designs range from flowers, creepers, geometric patterns, to human figures.

Once the design is carved out fine wires or sheets of silver are gently hammered into the chiseled design pattern. other steps like filing and polishing follow to give a silky smooth look to the object.

The final step involves permanent black coating on the entire surface of the object. again, the black coating is no ordinary. it is made by mixing soil, oil, and carefully chosen chemicals like ammonium chloride. it is this black coating that makes the silver patterns shimmer superbly through the dark background. the object is rinsed, polished with oil to deepen the black matt coating. this adds brilliance to the inlaid silver pattern and then it results into bidriware article."

Best
Gene