The Tiger of Mysore pounces on a £434,400 bid at Indian & Islamic art auction

From Paul Fraser Collectibles (link)

A gem-studded gold tiger from the throne of India's tenacious leader Tipu Sultan sold at Bonhams

A second gem-encrusted gold finial from the octagonal golden throne of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, was sold at Bonhams New Bond Street on October 7th in the Indian & Islamic Art sale for £434,400.

This is the second such finial to pass through Bonhams Bond Street saleroom in 18 months. The first finial sold for £389,600 on 2nd April 2009. Both were at Bonhams recently, reuniting two parts of this fabled throne after 200 years, and offering Tipu scholars an extraordinary opportunity to appreciate the workmanship of these objects.

These finials are among the most important Tipu items ever to appear at auction. The one sold today (October 7 2010) was in the possession of the same Scottish family for the past 200 years coming down to the present owner by direct descent.

The first finial sold at Bonhams had lain in an English castle, for at least 100 years and then in a bank vault, unknown to Tipu enthusiasts and scholars. It was discovered by Bonhams Islamic Department on a routine valuation.

Sold as a separate but related lot in this sale was the remarkable eyewitness account by Benjamin Sydenham of the battle which led to the final destruction of Tipu Sultan and his forces.

It is addressed to Earl Macartney and is immaculately written in a copperplate script in 1799. It recounts in some 50 pages the story of the end of the Tiger of Mysore. This extraordinary written survival was estimated to sell for £10,000 to £15,000 but made £86,400.

Sydenham describes the death of Tipu Sultan by a number of wounds encountered in the battle for Seringapatam. The Sultan left a meal to lead his troops against the British storming the fort and died after being shot and bayoneted.

His dead body was described as: "wounded a little above the right ear, and the ball lodged in the left cheek, he had also three wounds in the body, he was in stature about 5'8" and not very fair, he was rather corpulent, had a short neck and high shoulders, but his wrists and ankles were small and delicate.

"He had large full eyes, with small arched eyebrows and very small whiskers. His appearance denoted him to be above the Common Stamp. And his countenance expressed a mixture of haughtiness and resolution.

"He was dressed in a fine white linen jacket, chintz drawers, a crimson cloth round his waist with a red silk belt and pouch across his body. He had lastly his turban and there were no weapons of defense about him."

 

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