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A Tipu Sultan sword fitted with a captured English blade, Mysore, late 18th Century
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
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Description
- steel and brass
comprising a bronze hilt cast in one piece in the form of a tiger head at the forte enriched with engraved bubri and punched details, tiger-head pommel with smaller tiger-heads as quillons and on knuckle-guard formed ensuite with the quillons, the long slender bi-fullered blade stamped on the back edge: 'O DEAKIN'
Provenance
Sir Charles Warre Malet Bt., (1753-1815)
His 3rd son William Wyndham Malet (1803-85)
His Son Clement Malet (1845-1909)
His Daughter Cecilia (1874-1947)
Her Daughter Cecilia Joan Malet Shaw (1911-97)
Thence by descent
His 3rd son William Wyndham Malet (1803-85)
His Son Clement Malet (1845-1909)
His Daughter Cecilia (1874-1947)
Her Daughter Cecilia Joan Malet Shaw (1911-97)
Thence by descent
Condition
In overall good condition, abrasions and associated cleaning to blade, minor wear to hilt associated with age and use, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
"Better to die like a soldier than live a miserable [life] dependent on the infidels...
I would rather live two days as a tiger, than two hundred years as a sheep."
Tipu Sultan, Tiger of Mysore (1750-1799)
The 'bubri' or tiger-stripe motif, adopted by Tipu as his personal emblem, appears multiple times on the present sword hilt and can be compared to a very small number of hilts closely linked with the ownership of Tipu Sultan. On the present lot, the significance of this symbol is heightened by the fact that the tiger-form hilt holds in its jaw a captured English blade, highlighting the dominance of the Sultan over his English enemy, as perceived by Tipu himself.
Over the course of his life, Tipu Sultan, with his father, Hyder Ali, fought four wars against the British East India Company. This blade, which was taken from a light cavalry sword made by Wooley and Deakin between 1790 and 1796, was presumably a trophy taken in action from a previous battle with the British. James Wooley of Birmingham (sword manufacturer) and Thomas Deakin also of Birmingham (cutler) became joint traders in the manufacture of sword blades and fittings in 1790. After 1796, the pattern of blade was changed, providing a terminus ante quem for the present example.
The provenance of this sword is particularly noteworthy. Sir Charles Warre Malet, of the East India Company, was made British Resident at the Court of the Peshwa in Poona in 1785. A painting by Thomas Daniell, dated 1805 in the Tate Gallery, London, pictures him on the morning of 6 August 1790 after the conclusion of an alliance with the Marathas against Tipu Sultan (see below image).
Tipu Sultan was eventually defeated during the fourth Mysore War and killed during the storming of the fortress of Seringapatam by the British in May 1799, when this sword was captured as booty.
A sword with a similar tiger-form hilt sold in these rooms on 14 April 2010, lot 185.
I would rather live two days as a tiger, than two hundred years as a sheep."
Tipu Sultan, Tiger of Mysore (1750-1799)
The 'bubri' or tiger-stripe motif, adopted by Tipu as his personal emblem, appears multiple times on the present sword hilt and can be compared to a very small number of hilts closely linked with the ownership of Tipu Sultan. On the present lot, the significance of this symbol is heightened by the fact that the tiger-form hilt holds in its jaw a captured English blade, highlighting the dominance of the Sultan over his English enemy, as perceived by Tipu himself.
Over the course of his life, Tipu Sultan, with his father, Hyder Ali, fought four wars against the British East India Company. This blade, which was taken from a light cavalry sword made by Wooley and Deakin between 1790 and 1796, was presumably a trophy taken in action from a previous battle with the British. James Wooley of Birmingham (sword manufacturer) and Thomas Deakin also of Birmingham (cutler) became joint traders in the manufacture of sword blades and fittings in 1790. After 1796, the pattern of blade was changed, providing a terminus ante quem for the present example.
The provenance of this sword is particularly noteworthy. Sir Charles Warre Malet, of the East India Company, was made British Resident at the Court of the Peshwa in Poona in 1785. A painting by Thomas Daniell, dated 1805 in the Tate Gallery, London, pictures him on the morning of 6 August 1790 after the conclusion of an alliance with the Marathas against Tipu Sultan (see below image).
Tipu Sultan was eventually defeated during the fourth Mysore War and killed during the storming of the fortress of Seringapatam by the British in May 1799, when this sword was captured as booty.
A sword with a similar tiger-form hilt sold in these rooms on 14 April 2010, lot 185.