Minneapolis Institute of Art

Water vase (Lota)

India (Bidar)LinkedCulture matchlcp-e84f00141d5d

Date: 17th-18th century
Medium: Zinc alloy, cast, engraved, and inlaid with silver and brass
Department: Asian Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Object ID: 4559

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

This bulbous vessel merges the classical Indian form of a water vessel with the Persian- inspired type of metal inlay known as Bidri . A popular luxury item under the Islamic Sultanate Kingdoms of the Deccan Plateau (about 1300s–1700s CE), bidriware is unique to the subcontinent. It involves a complicated chemical process in which the base metal is blackened to offset the dazzling pattern of the inlay. Here, the combination of brass and silver inlay, known as ganga-yamuna , refers to respective hues of north India’s two great rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna, which in Hindu (Brahmanist) traditions are worshipped as goddesses. Floral sprays and fluttering birds further evoke a spirit of bounty. Asia

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