Abstract
Bidriware is an ancient metal-based object of Art from South India dating back to 14th Century A.D. The base casting in a Bidriware work is made of a Zn-Cu alloy in the ratio of 16:1 while the inlay work is hemmed with pure silver. The black patination obtained on the surface of Bidriware has been a source of mystery and intrigue for a long time. In this work, this black patination has been investigated to understand the chemistry behind it. The patination in Bidriware is actually a combination of Cupric oxide, Cupric chloride and other minute quantities of cuprous oxide, cupric nitrate and Zinc oxide, which are the results obtained from XRD, SEM, Optical microscopy and XRF analysis. We have further found that similar black patination can be obtained on the surfaces of pure copper and yellow brass. Since black oxide layers have multiple applications in many fields for the property of black body, a novel method, based on ancient knowledge, has been suggested here to obtain similar surfaces on pure copper and yellow brass samples.
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