Inside the Story · No. 12 · Friday 9 October 2026 · Craft · South Asia

Gold on Black: the Bidri Iris

This gold-on-black iris butta is traced from a 17th-century Deccan water-pipe base, where the 'gold' is hammered brass on blackened zinc.

The inside story of a design inspired by a 17th-century bidri water-pipe base from the Deccan.

Water-pipe base with irises (bidri ware), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The source

Water-pipe base with irises (bidri ware)Zinc alloy; cast, engraved, inlaid with brass (bidri ware) · India, Deccan, made in Bidar, late 17th century · H. 17.5 cm, diam. 16.5 cmThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York · Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art and Rogers Fund, 1984. The Met, 1984.221. Public domain (Open Access, CC0). · object 453243 (accession 1984.221) · CC0View at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York ↗

Bidri is named after Bidar, in the Deccan. The vessel is cast in a zinc alloy, the design is cut into it, metal is hammered into the cuts, and the whole surface is then blackened with a mud paste. The inlay stays bright. Silver is the usual inlay; this one is brass only, which is why it reads as gold.

What we saw

Four parts, traced from the photograph

1The iris plantFirst, the plant. Three upright blades, one bud, two hanging flowers on looping double stems, and a tuft of four leaves at the foot.

2The six-petal rosetteBetween the plants, rosettes. Six petals each. We counted.

3The four-lobed sprigSmaller still, sprigs of four lobes. Some round, some pointed.

4The collar of pointed leavesAnd round the shoulder, a collar. Pointed leaves, each hanging from a small ring.

4 prints, each from a different part

Each print starts from a part of the source

From this partThe iris plant

Print 1 · Buta

Bidri Iris Butta

What if we kept only the plant? The one that faces you.

Blade for blade, as inlaid. Brass on black, every second column dropped by half.

Repeat: Half drop repeat · tile 2548 × 2106 px · 43.1 × 35.7 cm
Made for: Surat saree and dress-material process houses printing festive polyester georgette; festive kurta labels
Why it sells: A 16 cm plant on a 21.6 x 17.8 cm half-drop in just 2 colours reads as a gold butta from across a room, which is kurta scale and cheap to engrave.

Women's kurta and dress material110 to 140 cm width2 colours (gold pigment or foil on black)rotary screen or digital on georgette or crepeTwo colours

From this partThe six-petal rosette

Print 2 · All-over

Bidri Rosette Ditsy

Then the rosette that fills the gaps between the plants.

Both rosettes, lifted whole, tossed at every angle so the cloth has no up or down.

Repeat: Straight repeat · tile 2400 × 2400 px · 40.6 × 40.6 cm
Made for: Ready-to-wear dress and kurti brands; Western womenswear buyers for holiday and party capsules
Why it sells: A 3.2 cm two-colour rosette tossed without direction cuts with no waste and suits small, everyday festive garments.

Women's dressestunics and kurtis110 to 140 cm width2 coloursrotary or digital on rayon or crepeTwo colours

From this partThe four-lobed sprig

Print 3 · All-over

Bidri Sprig Shirting

And the smallest thing on the vessel? The sprig.

Round one, pointed one, row after row, in a brick repeat.

Repeat: Half brick repeat · tile 2478 × 2464 px · 42 × 41.7 cm
Made for: Menswear shirting mills and festive and party-shirt labels
Why it sells: A 1.3 cm motif on a 3 x 5.2 cm brick is standard shirting scale, two colours keep it cheap, and the black ground makes it a festive shirt.

Men's shirting147 to 150 cm width2 coloursdischarge or pigment on cotton poplin or viscoseTwo colours

From this partThe collar of pointed leaves

Print 4 · Border

Bidri Collar Border

Last, the collar round the shoulder.

One leaf and its ring, hung from a brass rule and run the length of the cloth.

Repeat: Border repeat · tile 2400 × 420 px · 40.6 × 7.1 cm
Made for: Surat saree process houses; dupatta and stole makers who can pair it with the Iris Butta body
Why it sells: A narrow two-colour band with a 1.5 cm repeat runs any length without a visible join and sits on the same black as print A.

Saree border and dupatta edgea 7.1 cm band repeating every 1.5 cm along the length2 coloursfoil or gold pigmentTwo colours

The palette

Every colour here was already in the source.

#272623Bidri black · from the source

#414140Zinc sheen · from the source

#B09351Brass · from the source

#DBC284Brass highlight · from the source

#8A7037Brass shadow · from the source

Why now

Gold on black, ahead of Diwali on 8 November 2026.

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Source: Water-pipe base with irises (bidri ware), India, Deccan, made in Bidar, late 17th century, Zinc alloy; cast, engraved, inlaid with brass (bidri ware). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art and Rogers Fund, 1984. The Met, 1984.221. Public domain (Open Access, CC0)., object 453243 (accession 1984.221). CC0. View the object.

Facts from: metmuseum.org, collections.vam.ac.uk.