A rare Indian silver-mounted stag antler chair, 19th century, probably Kashmir or Punjab

the hide seat mounted with a tiger mask stamped with a boteh to the temple and overall with bubri cartouches and ending in paw feet

A rare and unusual chair in 'country house' condition. The mounts have been tested as silver but the grade has not been established. Two points are now lacking mounts and the mount of a third point has been snapped. The tiger mask is lacking one eye insert and the head is now detachable with visible apertures for the screws. The hide seat has torn away from the metal seat rail to one side. The surface of the antlers with ingrained dirt consistent with age and would benefit for a gentle clean according to taste. Overall with minor old marks, dents, chips and scratches commensurate with age and use.
"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."

The origin of this unique object - a diminutive chair fashioned from stag antler and mounted with a silver tiger mask, paw feet and points - remains uncertain but it must have been an important commission. Stylistically, it owes a debt to the artistic legacy of Tipu Sultan of Mysore (1750–1799), who adopted the tiger as an emblem of his struggle with surrounding powers, notably with the East India Company, famously saying ‘one day of life as a tiger is far better than thousand years of living as a sheep'. It is worth pointing out the 9th Earl Dalhousie spent time in India as Commander-in-Chief between 1829 and 1832 and family tradition has it the chair dates to this period of collecting. The 9th Earl served under the Duke of Wellington who famously defeated Tipu in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799) where the Sultan met his demise. Tipu’s legend resonated with the 10^th Earl Dalhousie who, during a visit to Mysore in 1855, commissioned a local artist to restore damaged murals depicting the famous battle of Pollilur (1780).

That being said, the prominent embossed boteh symbol to the temple of the tiger mask, coupled with the use of stag antler for the chair structure, is indicative of a North Indian origin, probably Kashmir or the Punjab. Interestingly, Dalhousie met Gulab Singh (1792–1857) the first Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, in 1851, describing the visit as 'mutually satisfactory, and infernally civil – the presents on both sides really rich’ (Ed. J. G. A. Baird, Private Letters of the Marquess of Dalhousie, Edinburgh & London, 1910, p.150). Equally, given its small scale, it is conceivable it was a gift from the young Maharaja Duleep Singh (1838-1893), with whom Lord Dalhousie formed a close bond and exchanged many presents following the annexation of the Punjab in the Second Sheik War (1849).