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Tipu`s sword may return to India: The Asian Age
London, Aug 01: A magnificent sword of Tipu Sultan taken from his bedchamber in Seringapatnam in 1799 will be auctioned here in September.
London, Aug 01: A magnificent sword of Tipu Sultan taken from his bedchamber in Seringapatnam in 1799 will be auctioned here in September.
Estimated between £150,000 and £250,000, auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb will be sending an expert to India to try and find an Indian home for the Tiger of Mysore’s prized possession.
"As one of the last significant possessions of Tipu Sultan likely to appear at a public auction, we expect the sword to attract a good deal of interest from private collectors and institutions. Of further interest to Tipu Sultan enthusiasts will be a most attractive miniature silver casket, also taken from the palace at Seringapatam in May 1799 and estimated between £6,000 and £8,000," Mr David Erskine-Hill, an expert at Dix Noonan Webb, told The Asian Age here on Wednesday.
The sword was taken by Colonel Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, of the British 33rd Regiment and presented shortly afterwards to Sir David Baird, who commanded the British storming party in the memorable Battle of Seringapatnam in which the ruler of Mysore was killed at the end of a heroic fight.
A single-edged weapon with a 91-cm-long blade and an impressive hilt inlaid with Arabic inscriptions, the back edge of the blade bears the Perso-Arabic inscription: "Sword of the Ruler." The scabbard of wood covered in green velvet has silver-gilt mounts, partly decorated in Tipu Sultan’s favoured tiger stripe design.
In addition, the blade is inscribed: "The Sword of Tippoo Sultan found in the bed chamber after Seringapatam was taken by storm on 4th May 1799 and presented by the army to General Baird through their commander Major General Harris as a token of their high opinion and his courage and conduct in the assault which he commanded and in which Tippoo Sultan was slain."
"Unlike so many other artefacts purporting to come from Tipu Sultan’s effects, this particular weapon has a cast-iron family provenance, the joint-vendors being direct descendants of Sir David Baird," Mr Erskine-Hill said in reference to the sword that was on display at the National War Museum of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle till recently together with other artefacts relating to the life of Gen. Baird. A gold medal estimated between £8,000 and £10,000 and presented to him by the East India Company for his services during the Battle of Seringapatnam and another dating back to 1809 and estimated between £40,000 and £50,000 are among the other personal items that will go under the hammer.
Seen as the East India Company’s most formidable rival in the second half of the 18th century, Tipu Sultan achieved celebrity status even across England. A magnificent tiger’s head adorned in gold leaf which was part of his throne and the bejewelled Bird of Paradise that surmounted it now resides at Windsor Castle.
His sword, documented by historian Mohammed Moienuddin in the book Sunset at Seringapatnam, is expected to find its way to a public viewing at a major museum, hopefully back in India.
Estimated between £150,000 and £250,000, auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb will be sending an expert to India to try and find an Indian home for the Tiger of Mysore’s prized possession.
"As one of the last significant possessions of Tipu Sultan likely to appear at a public auction, we expect the sword to attract a good deal of interest from private collectors and institutions. Of further interest to Tipu Sultan enthusiasts will be a most attractive miniature silver casket, also taken from the palace at Seringapatam in May 1799 and estimated between £6,000 and £8,000," Mr David Erskine-Hill, an expert at Dix Noonan Webb, told The Asian Age here on Wednesday.
The sword was taken by Colonel Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, of the British 33rd Regiment and presented shortly afterwards to Sir David Baird, who commanded the British storming party in the memorable Battle of Seringapatnam in which the ruler of Mysore was killed at the end of a heroic fight.
A single-edged weapon with a 91-cm-long blade and an impressive hilt inlaid with Arabic inscriptions, the back edge of the blade bears the Perso-Arabic inscription: "Sword of the Ruler." The scabbard of wood covered in green velvet has silver-gilt mounts, partly decorated in Tipu Sultan’s favoured tiger stripe design.
In addition, the blade is inscribed: "The Sword of Tippoo Sultan found in the bed chamber after Seringapatam was taken by storm on 4th May 1799 and presented by the army to General Baird through their commander Major General Harris as a token of their high opinion and his courage and conduct in the assault which he commanded and in which Tippoo Sultan was slain."
"Unlike so many other artefacts purporting to come from Tipu Sultan’s effects, this particular weapon has a cast-iron family provenance, the joint-vendors being direct descendants of Sir David Baird," Mr Erskine-Hill said in reference to the sword that was on display at the National War Museum of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle till recently together with other artefacts relating to the life of Gen. Baird. A gold medal estimated between £8,000 and £10,000 and presented to him by the East India Company for his services during the Battle of Seringapatnam and another dating back to 1809 and estimated between £40,000 and £50,000 are among the other personal items that will go under the hammer.
Seen as the East India Company’s most formidable rival in the second half of the 18th century, Tipu Sultan achieved celebrity status even across England. A magnificent tiger’s head adorned in gold leaf which was part of his throne and the bejewelled Bird of Paradise that surmounted it now resides at Windsor Castle.
His sword, documented by historian Mohammed Moienuddin in the book Sunset at Seringapatnam, is expected to find its way to a public viewing at a major museum, hopefully back in India.