UK seeks to retain priceless Indian tray

LONDON:A rare 17th-century tray produced in Bidar in southern India that exemplified Indian superiority in metallurgy at the time - long before England had the expertise - has been blocked from export by the UK government, which is seeking to retain and preserve it in Britain.

Described by the UK’S department of digital, media, culture and sport as “mysterious and unique”, the artwork has been assessed by experts to be at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found and retained within the UK.

A decision on its export licence application will be deferred until April 17, which may be extended until July 17.

The tray, deemed to be of unparalleled finesse, was made using a metalworking technique known as ‘Bidri’, the name deriving from the capital city of the Bahmani sultanate of the Deccan, a major Muslim kingdom in medieval India.