Maharaja: The exhibition

Folio of Samgrahanisutra or Samgrahaniratna manuscript

Partially illustrated Sanskrit text with commentary
Handwritten on paper
Rajasthan, Western India
18th century
Museum no. IS.35:16-1971

A complete illustrated manuscript of the Samgrahanisutra or Sangrahanisutra, a Jain cosmographical text in Sanskrit composed in AD 1136 by Shrichandra Muni. The work is also named at the end as the Trailokya dipi, which is more usually applied to the Sangrahani Sutra of Jinabhadragani Kshamashramana, the earliest work of this class. The work is accompanied by an interlinear text in smaller devanagari script, which is possibly the commentary of Devabhadra. This manuscript is written on 56 oblong folios of paper. The copy is undated but appears to have been written and illustrated in Western India during the 18th century.

This folio (14) has text and representations of the different classes of Vyantara trees on one side, with the other side showing planetary bodies and the distances between them.

Raja Durjan Sal of Kota (1724-54) hunting lions

Opaque watercolour on paper
Kota, India
1778
Museum no. IS.562-1952
Given by Colonel T G Gayer-Anderson & Major R G Gayer-Anderson

Tiger claws (wagnakh)

Steel
Maharashtra, India
Date unknown
Museum no. 3196(IS)

An assassin’s or close quarter grappling weapon called a wagnakh or ‘tiger’s claw’ which has five curved metal ‘claws’ attached to a bar with circles at each end so that it can be worn over the first and fourth finger and concealed in the palm of the hand.

Nawab Sikander Jah, Nizam of Hyderabad having a meeting with four ministers

Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Hyderabad (Deccan), India
About 1810
Museum no. IS.107-1951

Following the death of the emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal empire began to fall apart and regional courts gradually developed their own artistic identities. During the reign of the emperor Muhammad Shah (1719-48) a noble of the court called Nizam al-Mulk became disillusioned by the prevailing anarchy and in 1724 left for the Deccan. Within a year he had brought the whole of the Mughal-ruled Deccan under his control and the following year was given the title of Asaf Jah and the right to independent rule by the emperor. This portrait depicts Nawab Sikandar Jah, one of his successors, who ruled from 1803-1829, giving audience to four ministers. He is shown with his jewellery, richly decorated dagger and sword, all emblems of his position.

Raja Bhup Singh of Guler with a rani

Opaque watercolour on paper
Guler, Punjab Hills, India
About 1800 (Pahari)
Museum no. IS.202-1949

Festival of the Goddess Laksmi

Opaque watercolour on paper
Guler, Punjab Hills, India
About 1960-1770 (Pahari)
Museum no. IS.62-1959

Raja Balwant Singh performing puja at a Vishnu shrine

Opaque watercolour on paper
Jammu, India
About 1750-55 (Pahari)
Museum no. IS.29-1980

Ranjit Singh with Hara Singh

Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Punjab Plains, India
About 1838-1840
Museum no. IS.114-1953

This painting shows Ranjit Singh, the first Sikh maharaja of the Panjab (ruled 1801–1839), seated on a western-style chair with his legs tucked underneath him, the manner in which he was often seen by European visitors to the court. He is shown with Hira Singh (1816-1844), who was introduced to the maharaja by his father, Dhian Singh, an influential Hindu courtier. Ranjit Singh gave the boy the title of raja in 1828 and then proclaimed him ‘Farzand-i khas’ – ‘the favoured son’.

The painting was formerly in the collection of Lord Auckland, Governor-General of India from 1836 to 1842, who went to the court of Ranjit Singh in 1838. The painting was brought by him to England in 1842 and given to the V&A in 1953 by Auckland’s great-nephew, O E Dickinson.

Throne chair

Wood with gilt brass and gilt gesso mounts, painted decoration and blue velvet upholstery
Lucknow, India
About 1820
Museum no. IS.6-1991
Given by the 5th Earl Amherst of Arracan

This chair is a rare surviving example of palace furniture from Lucknow in northern India. It was a gift from Ghazi-ud-din Haidar, Nawab and King of Oudh (ruled 1814 to 1827), to Lord Amherst, Governor-General of India. He probably gave it to him during Amherst's visit to Lucknow in 1827. The Scottish artist Robert Home almost certainly designed this chair. He was court painter at Lucknow, where he devised regalia as well as royal carriages, howdahs, barges and palace furnishings. These followed European fashions but, like this chair, they often carried the twin-fish badge of the rulers of Lucknow.

Palanquin

Wood partly veneered in inlaid ivory with silver mounts and silvered iron lanterns
Made by Sivakoti Chandrayya
Vishakhapatnam, India
About 1875
Museum no. Loan:Royal.26
Lent by Her Majesty The Queen

Inscribed ‘Sree Bobbili Maharaja’s Ivory-workman Sivakoti Chandrayya of Vizagapatam'

A brass plaque records that this object was presented to the Prince of Wales during his tour of India in 1875-6 by the widowed Rani of Bobbili

Games box

Rosewood inlaid with ivory and brass mounts
Mysore, India
Early 19th century
Museum no. 06409(IS)

This compendium of games is cleverly designed to accommodate four different South Indian games, with drawers for the pieces. The recessed mounts are clearly influenced by contemporary campaign furniture, which was widely used among the British in India during this period.

Maharao Umed Singh of Kota hunting at night

Gouache on paper
Kota, Rajasthan, India
About 1790
Museum no. IS.563-1952
Given by Colonel T G Gayer-Anderson and Major R G Gayer-Anderson

Throne belonging to Maharaja Ranji Singh

Made by Hafiz Muhammad of Multan
Wood and resin core covered with sheets of repoussé, chased and engraved gold
Lahore, Pakistan
About 1818
Museum no. 2518(IS)

1818 was the year when Multan finally fell to the Sikhs, and it is likely that the throne was commissioned to mark the event. The court of Ranjit Singh was then at Lahore and the throne is traditionally associated with that city, where it was found on the annexation of the Punjab in 1849. The British Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie, was not sure if the throne would be wanted, writing to London 'It is set apart as an object which the court [of the East India Company] would probably desire to preserve, but as it is bulky, I shall not forward it until I receive orders to do so'. The Company did wish to preserve it and in 1853 the throne travelled to Calcutta (where Dalhousie had a wooden replica made) before it was shipped to the Indian Museum in London. In 1879, Ranjit Singh's Golden Throne moved to the South Kensington Museum, later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it has remained ever since.

Stringed musical instrument in the form of a peacock (taus)

Lacquered wood and peacock feathers
North India
19th century
Museum no. 182-1882

Mughal pen box and utensils

White nephrite jade, rubies, emeralds and diamonds set in gold
India
17th century
Museum no. 02549(IS)

Stringed instrument (tamburi) with keys for four strings

Painted wood inlaid with darker wood and ivory
Probably Sipri, Gwalior, India
19th century
Museum no. IM.238-1922

Elephant goad (ankus)

Gold enamelled and set with natural colourless sapphires and possibly colourless beryls and topazes
Jaipur, India
Museum no. 02693(IS)

The ankus is a tool for the handling and training of elephants consisting of a metal hook attached to a short handle. The elephant is trained to respond to pressure applied to the sensitive skin behind the ears in much the same manner as horses by spurs.

Elephants have been used during religious ceremonies and processions and as mounts for royalty since antiquity. The ankus is therefore found in armouries and temples all across India, often ornately decorated with gemstones, or engraved with passages of sacred text.

The ankus is one of the eight auspicious objects known as Astamangala in Hinduism, and is associated with certain other religions of the Indian subcontinent. A goad is also an attribute of many Hindu gods, including Ganesha.

Turban ornament

Gold set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pale beryls
Pakistan
Early 18th century
Museum no. IM.240-1923

Sprays of flowers are commonplace in Mughal art, but it is rare to find an Indian turban jewel reproducing the characteristic border motif of countless textiles, miniatures and metal artefacts. This jewelled gold ornament for the male turban is one of an important group of other turban jewels bought by the V&A in 1922 and 1923 from a Mr Talyarkhan, who had purchased them from the Maharaja of Jaipur. The vendor seems to have suggested that this was an imperial Mughal jewel which had been presented to Jaipur by an 18th century Mughal emperor. However, similar forms are seen in 18th century paintings of Rajasthani rulers and it seems more likely that this example was made in Rajasthan. The aigrette is set with rubies, emeralds and pale beryls on one side, and the same stones with the addition of diamonds on the other. The stem and the sides of the jewel are enamelled in translucent green.

Nawab Aliverdi Khan with his nephews and grandson on a terrace

Gouache on paper
Murshidabad School, India
About 1750-1755
Museum no. D.1201-1903

The scene is set on a terrace surrounded by screen walls and a pavillion in the background. In the foreground the central seated figure of the painting is that of Nawab Alivardi Khan and he has been depicted as holding a 'sarpesh' (turban ornament). On the left is seated Nawazish Muhammad Khan, known as Shahamat Jang, and the two men facing Alivardi are also identified by inscriptions on the reverse as Sayid Ahmad Khan (Saulat Jang) and the young Siraj-ud-daula. Siraj-ud-daula, was born in 1733, so cannot be less than 17 years old in this picture. The death of Shahamat Jang in 1755 enables us to date it accurately between 1750-55. The colour scheme, with its dark brown courtyard floor and flashes of cochineal red creates a setting which is well suited to the intimacy of family conversation and at the same time has a sober quality which matches the formal geometry of the composition.

The submission of Rana Amar Singh to Shah Jahan in 1614

Painted by Nanha
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Pakistan
About 1615-1618
Museum no. IS.185-1984

This scene, probably done between about 1615 and 1618, shows the submission of the ruler of Mewar in Rajasthan to Shah Jahan, the son of the reigning Mughal emperor Jahangir (ruled 1605-1627). The ruler, Rana Amar Singh, had long held out against the Mughal forces but after a lengthy campaign directed by Shah Jahan was forced to surrender in 1614. The artist, Nanha, has included himself kneeling at the right of the scene, sketching a portrait of the Rana. The picture was made to illustrate the Jahangirnama (‘Book of Jahangir’), the memoirs written in Persian by Jahangir, as indicated by the catchword isolated against the white muslin robe (jama) of the man depicted in the bottom left hand corner, which would be repeated as the first word of the following page. Although Jahangir intended to have various illustrated copies made of his book, none are known to survive.

Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur seated with nobles

Brush drawing on paper
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
About 1645
Museum no. IS.559-1952
Given by Colonel T G Gayer-Anderson & Major R G Gayer-Anderson

This very finely executed drawing shows Jaswant Singh I, the Maharaja (ruler) of Jodhpur, seated with a group of his relatives. Jaswant Singh was born in 1626, and ruled from 1638-78, and from his youthful appearance in this portrait we can date the work to around 1645. He is shown with a nimbus or halo of rays of light around his head to emphasise his status as ruler. This feature was borrowed from Mughal artists, who had taken it in turn from the West, although the convention had actually occurred much earlier in Buddhist paintings in India.

The high quality of the drawing in this work, and the detailed portraits of the sitters (most of whom bear a strong family resemblance to the Maharaja), suggest that it was done by an artist trained in the Mughal court style.

Shuja' ud-Daula, Nawab of Avadh (1754-75) in Afghan dress

Painted by Mihr Chand
Opaque watercolour on paper
Faizabad, India
About 1772
Museum no. IS.287-1951

Pair of flintlock pistols owned by Tipu Sultan

Designed and made by Sayyid Ma’sum in the royal workshops
Walnut, silver and steel with overlaid gold
Mysore, India
1795-1796
Museum nos. IS.55 & 56-2005

This pair of flintlock pistols were made in the royal workshops of Tipu Sultan of Mysore, in South India. The gold Persian inscriptions decorating their steel barrels record that they were made by the leading armourer Sayyid Ma'sum in ‘Patan’, referring to the capital, Srirangapatnam, then known to the British as Seringapatam. They are dated 1224 according to Tipu Sultan's idiosyncratic ‘Mawludi’ system that begins with the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, rather than according to the conventional Muslim system. To avoid confusion, Mawludi dates are given in reverse order (4221=1224), and 1224 falls between the years 1796 and 1797 AD.

The barrels are decorated with Persian verses inlaid in gold praising the ruler and eulogising the State. They also have a gold-inlaid tiger mask similar to those found on several of Tipu Sultan's personal weapons, composed of the Arabic words ‘assadullah al-ghalib’ (The Lion of God is Triumphant) and their mirror image. The carved wooden stocks have silver mounts chased with flower heads whose petals are in the shape of the tiger stripe found on most of the objects directly associated with Tipu Sultan.

The Muslim kingdom of Mysore was founded by Tipu Sultan's father Haider Ali, a soldier of fortune who deposed an ineffectual Hindu raja in 1766. He enlarged the boundaries of Mysore by conquest, and transformed it into a powerful state with an army reorganised on European lines, offering the only serious threat to British expansion in the region. A key element in the success of the Mysore army lay in its use of firearms incorporating the latest European technology, and replacing old-fashioned matchlocks with flintlocks. Mercenaries, predominantly French, were employed at Mysore and by the time Tipu Sultan inherited the throne, must have trained craftsmen such as Sayyid Ma'sum to make perfect imitations. The unique character of Tipu Sultan's weapons is the prolific use of tiger stripes and motifs in their decoration.

Sword (shamshir)

Steel overlaid with gold
Mysore, India
Late 18th century
Museum no. IS.72-1884

Persian inscriptions on this steel sword overlaid with gold decoration indicated that it belonged to Tipu Sultan of Mysore (ruled 1782-1799). It was taken from his armoury in 1799 when his capital fell in the Siege of Seringapatam and his palace was plundered, before the contents were formally divided between the victorious British soldiers.

The burning of the Rajput women during the siege of Chitor

Painting from the Akbarnama
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Possibly Delhi, Agra or Fatehpur Sikri, India
1590-1595
Museum no. IS.2:67-1896

This painting shows the burning (jauhar) of the Rajput women following the fall of the fortress of Chitor in 1568. The women preferred to be burned to death rather than being captured by the enemy. It is thought that as many as three hundred women died during this event.

This page is thought to be from the first illustrated copy of the Akbarnama. It drew upon the expertise of some of the best royal painters of the time, many of whom receive special mention by Abu'l Fazl in the A'in-i-Akbari, the third book of the Akbarnama. The inscriptions in red ink on the bottom of the paintings refer to the artists and indicate that this was a royal copy.

Lady flying a kite

Opaque watercolour on paper
Probably Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
About 1740-60
Museum no. IS.555-1952

This small painting is typical of work done in the eighteenth century in the Rajasthani courts of Bikaner and neighbouring Jodhpur. Paintings showing ladies indulging in pastimes like flying a kite, playing with a yoyo or combing their hair were intended as gifts to the ruler on auspicious occasions like Diwali, Holi or his birthday. This lady is painted in the distinctive western Rajasthani style of the period, with her large, curving eye, small pursed lips and shaded cheeks. This style of painting evolved in Jodhpur, but was also used in Bikaneri painting as artists moved freely between the two courts. The dark plum-coloured background is used in some other paintings that have inscriptions by Bikaner artists on the reverse, so we can conclude that this one was probably also painted in Bikaner.

Having failed to take the great fortress of Chitor by direct assault, Akbar decided to use mines

Painting from the Akbarnama
Composition by Miskina, colours and details painted by Bhurah
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Possibly Delhi, Agra or Fatehpur Sikri, India
1590-1595
Museum no. IS.2:67-1896

The Akbarnama was commissioned by the Emperor Akbar as an official chronicle of his reign. It was written by his court historian and biographer Abu'l Fazl around 1590, and illustrated during the same decade by at least forty-nine different artists from Akbar's studio. After Akbar's death, the manuscript remained in the library of his son, Jehangir. The Victoria and Albert Museum purchased it in 1896 from the widow of major General Clarke, an official who served as the Commissioner in Oudh province.

It is thought to be the first illustrated copy of the Akbarnama. It drew upon the expertise of some of the best royal painters of the time, many of whom receive special mention by Abu'l Fazl in the A'in-i-Akbari. The inscriptions in red ink on the bottom of the paintings refer to the artists and indicate that this was a royal copy.

The picture illustrates a scene that took place during the prolonged attack on the Rajasthani fortress of Chitor by the Mughal army. The covered lines of attack built by the Mughals allow the army, including armoured elephants (centre left) to approach the walls of the fortress (shown upper left). Akbar is shown top right, holding the gun called Sangram with which he has just shot a figure in a studded coat. The figure is Jaimal, the general of the enemy army, and the fortress submitted soon afterwards to the Mughal forces.

A Rajput princess

Opaque watercolour on paper
Rajasthan, India
18th century
Museum no. IM.84-1922

A Rajput princess

Opaque watercolour on paper
Rajasthan, India
18th century
Museum no. IM.87-1922

Portrait of Tipu Sultan (1749-99), ruler of Mysore

Opaque watercolour on paper
Mysore, India
About 1790
Museum no. IS.266-1952
Given by Colonel T G Gayer-Anderson & Major R G Gayer-Anderson

This painting by an anonymous Indian artist was probably done in Mysore. It depicts Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore from 1782 to 1799, who was defeated by the British at the Siege of Seringapatam. It was his tenacity, military prowess and the adoption of the tiger as his personal symbol that earned Tipu the title ‘The Tiger of Mysore’. A mechanical organ that once belonged to Tipu is on display at the V&A. It is in the shape of a European being mauled by a tiger and is known as 'Tippoo's Tiger'.

Procession with Ram Singh II of Kota

Gouache on paper
Kota, India
About 1850
Museum no. IS.564-1952

Ram Singh is shown mounted on a richly adorned elephant with a dancing girl performing on a platform mounted on the elephant’s tusks. Attendants and musicians are following on foot.

Portrait of Maharaja Sir Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar Bahadur of Mysore

Painted by K Keshavayya
Oil paint on canvas
Mysore, India
About 1906
Museum no. IM.226-1923
Given by Mrs W H Charsley

The maharaja was born in 1884 and became ruler in 1895. He is shown wearing a Benares pink satin brocade coat, buttoned to the neck and a pink and gold turban with a feathered turban ornament (sarpesh) trimmed with pearls. His jewels are set with diamonds and emeralds.

Processional scene with Amar Singh, ruler of Thanjavur (Tanjore) (1787-98) and Sarabhoji (1798-1832)

Varnished gouache on paper
Thanjavur, India
About 1797
Museum no. IM.10-1938
Presented by Captain R Johnes

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This one shows Amar Singh and Sarabhoji. The fact that Amar Singh is in the larger gilded carriage suggests that this painting was made before 1798, the year that the British pensioned him off and sent him away. Sarabhoji (shown here in the smaller carriage) was then recognised as ruler of the state.

Detail of a sword and scabbard with enamelled hilt and mounts

Drawing and colours on paper
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
About 1890
Museum no. IS.27-1992
Acquired in Jaipur by Surgeon Thomas Holbein Hendley and given to the Museum by the wife of a direct descendant, Mrs G M Hendley

Turban jewels (jigha and sarpati)

Enamelled gold set with diamonds, rubies, Colombian emeralds, a sapphire and a pendant pearl
Murshidabad, Bengal, India
About 1755
Museum nos. IS.3&A-1982

These jewels for the male turban, made together and intended to be worn together, were presented to Admiral Charles Watson (1714-1757) by the Nawab of Bengal on 26 July 1757, following the battle of Plassey. They were inherited by the Townley family, relatives of the Admiral, following his death in India shortly after the battle, and remained in their possession until sold at auction in London in 1982, when they were bought by the V&A. They are a rare example of securely datable 18th century Indian jewels.

When the British East India Company felt their trading interests in India to be threatened by Siraj ad-Daula, the Nawab of Bengal, they decided to depose him in favour of a ruler who would be more amenable to their interests. This led to the campaign that culminated in the famous Battle of Plassey, during which Robert Clive (1725-1774) led the land forces and Admiral Watson commanded the fleet. The British victory allowed them to install as Nawab Mir Ja'far, who then presented lavish gifts to Clive and to Watson, including these jewels. The style of the pieces, which have backs enamelled in translucent green and red over a white ground, and jewelled fronts, is within the Mughal tradition found all over the northern provinces of the subcontinent. The specific form, however, is typical of Bengal and, particularly, of its capital Murshidabad. The style is seen in contemporary paintings of Murshidabad, and it is probable that the jewels were taken from the treasury rather than being made especially for presentation by Mir Ja'far.

Shield (dhal)

Papier mâché with brass mounts
Ahmedabad, India
About 1867
Museum no. 798-1869

Palanquin pole-ends

Silver gilt
Mysore, India
Late 18th century
Museum no. IPN.2599&A

This finial made of thickly gilded silver was probably a terminal from one of the poles supporting a palanquin, a litter used when travelling. Its decoration identifies it as having been made for Tipu Sultan (ruled1782-1799), the Muslim ruler of Mysore in South India. Artefacts made for him personally were decorated with tiger motifs and tiger stripes. Although the use of a tiger head in the decoration of courtly objects was by no means confined to his court, the precise form of the stripes on this finial, the shape of the eye, and the scale of the stripes in relation to the head, all compare closely with other artefacts made for the ruler, notably his mechanical tiger which is also in the V&A. Tipu Sultan's treasury was seized by the British when they defeated the Mysore army at the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799, and divided between the victorious troops. Much of it was immediately resold and anything made of silver or gold was probably melted down. Although any documentation that may have linked this piece directly with Tipu Sultan has been lost, its origins are apparent from its design. The circumstances under which his treasury was broken up make it very likely that it was taken at the 1799 siege.

Shield (dhal)

Hide, velvet, copper & gilt
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
19th century
Museum no. IS.15-1991

Tent hanging

Cotton embroidered with silks, silver-gilt and silver threads
Delhi, India
17th century
Museum no. IM.153-1924

This is a hanging from the inner side of a tent wall (kanat) showing a music party. In the middle stands a Mogul princess holding a flower whilst reaching up to a branch of a flowering tree. There are two female musicians and attendants holding a tray of sweetmeats and drinking utensils. Designs of flowers, birds and trees cover the background.

Saddle cloth

Leather, metal thread, velvet and silk
Udaipur, India
Date unknown
Museum no. 888-1852

Portrait of Maharana Amar Singh

Opaque watercolour on cotton cloth
Udaipur, India
About 1700
Museum no. IS.55-1997
Purchased with the assistance of The Art Fund

Howdah

Silver, iron, wood, velvet and mirror glass
India
About 1840
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.1-2008
The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection on load to the V&A

The word ‘howdah’ is an Anglo-Indian term for the seat used for riding an elephant. Symbols of status in the princely court, howdahs were used for hunting, in battle and for ceremonial processions. The profuse detailing of this howdah recalls the opulence manifested in the princely courts after Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877. The Indian rajas, formerly heads of independent Indian states, became vassals of the British Empire. Prevented from exercising any real power, they could only demonstrate their strength through lavish displays of pomp and ceremony. Their impressive appearance at the official British governmental functions ironically lent greater authority to the British control of India.

This object is inscribed 'Maharawal Shri Nand Singh Ji' followed by an illegible word, though it may refer to the place the ruler comes from, as is common in Rajput inscriptions of the type. Following that is a series of numbers, inscribed at a different time or by different hands, possibly referring to the object's weight.

Body armour - Coat of a thousand nails (chihltar hazar masha)

Leather covered with silk and gilt copper studs
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
17th century
Museum no. IS.1:1,2-1902

Flintlock rifle (banduq jauhardar) with a fish tail stock and damascus steel barrel decorated at the breech and muzzle

Crucible forged steel, chiselled and decorated with gold kuftkari with enamelled gold
Bhawalpur, Sind, India
19th century
Museum no. 2650(IS)
Presented by HH The Nawab of Bhawalpur in 1855

Matchlock gun (torador)

Steel and rosewood decorated with gold kuftkari
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Date unknown
Museum no. 2655(IS)

Man's robe (jama)

Cotton
Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
About 1855
Museum no. 05567(IS)

This man's robe is of the type called a jama, which crosses over the chest and fastens at the left side, which traditionally denotes a Hindu wearer. This example is exceptional in the amount of cloth used for its gathered skirt: it has a circumference at the hem of 65 metres of cloth, and the skirt is made up of 277 triangular panels. It was given to the India Museum (which was amalgamated into the South Kensington Museum, later the V&A) by the Maharaja of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in 1855.

Sword and sheath (talwar)

Watered steel blade, gilt relief-decorated hilt; crimson velvet sheath with gold mounts and a brocade waist belt
Lahore, Pakistan
17th-19th century
Museum nos. 3391&A(IS)

This was thought to be the Sword of Rustam, heirloom of the Durrani family, acquired by Maharaja Ranjit Singh from Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk. It was transferred from the India Museum to the South Kensington Museum (later the V&A) in 1879.

Detail of a scroll showing a religious procession

Gouache on paper
Thanjavur (Tanjore), India
About 1825-1830
Museum no. IS.45-1963

This detail of a scroll painting shows Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Raja of Mysore (ruled 1799-1868) on an elephant leading a religious procession in honour of the god Shiva. (He was formerly misidentified as Raja Sarabhoji of Tanjore (1777-1832).) British military commanders are also shown.
Krishnaraja Wadiyar is preceded by dancing-girls, musicians, chauri- bearers and men carrying illuminations and letting of fireworks. He is followed by the British Resident and two Indian military commanders on horseback, elephants with kettledrums, horsemen and a great crowd with illuminations. There is a wooden platform bearing an image of Shiva on a prancing horse under a canopy, followed by a crowd with dancing-girls and musicians. Four temple cars are dragged by ropes bearing images of Durga on a lion, Shiva on Nandi, Shiva on an elephant and Shiva on a horse. Dancing girls and men with fireworks may also be seen. Shiva is carried in an elaborate gold and red carved car drawn by four small red horses.

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This is part of a long scroll-painting in Company style.

Detail of a scroll showing a religious procession

Gouache on paper
Thanjavur (Tanjore), India
About 1825-1830
Museum no. IS.45-1963

This detail of a scroll painting shows Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Raja of Mysore (ruled 1799-1868) on an elephant leading a religious procession in honour of the god Shiva. (He was formerly misidentified as Raja Sarabhoji of Tanjore (1777-1832).) British military commanders are also shown.
Krishnaraja Wadiyar is preceded by dancing-girls, musicians, chauri- bearers and men carrying illuminations and letting of fireworks. He is followed by the British Resident and two Indian military commanders on horseback, elephants with kettledrums, horsemen and a great crowd with illuminations. There is a wooden platform bearing an image of Shiva on a prancing horse under a canopy, followed by a crowd with dancing-girls and musicians. Four temple cars are dragged by ropes bearing images of Durga on a lion, Shiva on Nandi, Shiva on an elephant and Shiva on a horse. Dancing girls and men with fireworks may also be seen. Shiva is carried in an elaborate gold and red carved car drawn by four small red horses.

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This is part of a long scroll-painting in Company style.

Costume of the Gaekwad of Baroda

Silk, wool, leather, feathers and metal threads
Bombay, India
About 1870
Museum no. 0715,16&17(IS)

Umbrella (chhatra)

Velvet, copper and gilt
Rajasthan, India
18th-19th century
Museum no. IS.17-1991

Sword and sheath (kastane) with a dragon-headed pommel

Steel, chased and embossed gold sheath
Travancore, Kerala, India
19th century
Museum nos. 2573:1,2(IS)

The kastane is the national sword of Sri Lanka. It typically has a short curved single-edged blade, double-edged at the point. The hilt comprises a knuckle-guard and down-turned quillons, each terminating in a dragon's head. The swords were intended to serve as badges of rank; the quality of ornamentation depending on the status of the wearer.

The establishment of European trading contacts with South Asia by the late 16th and early 17th century led to these swords becoming fashionable dress accessories among European gentlemen. A kastane can be seen in an equestrian portrait of Colonel Alexander Popham at Littlecote House in the care of the Royal Armouries Collection.

Folio of Samgrahanisutra or Samgrahaniratna manuscript

Partially illustrated Sanskrit text with commentary
Handwritten on paper
Rajasthan, Western India
18th century
Museum no. IS.35:25-1971

A complete illustrated manuscript of the Samgrahanisutra or Sangrahanisutra, a Jain cosmographical text in Sanskrit composed in AD 1136 by Shrichandra Muni that includes Jain ideas about the structure of the universe and the mapping of space. The work is also named at the end as the Trailokya dipi, which is more usually applied to the Sangrahani Sutra of Jinabhadragani Kshamashramana, the earliest work of this class. The work is accompanied by an interlinear text in smaller devanagari script, which is possibly the commentary of Devabhadra. This manuscript is written on 56 oblong folios of paper. The copy is undated but appears to have been written and illustrated in Western India during the 18th century.

This folio (23) is an illustration of the lokapurusha or cosmic man with comments and numbers. The reverse side is text with a numerical table. The Jain cosmos is compared with the shape of a man and the three worlds are conceived within his frame. His head and upper part of the body represent the heavens, abode of the gods. The middle world, where humans dwell and the only region from which liberation can be obtained, is located at his narrow waist. Below the waist are the hells, shown broadest at the base of his tunic.

Tippoo's Tiger

Wood, metal, ivory and paint
Mysore
About 1793
Museum no. 2545(IS)

Tippoo's Tiger was made for Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore in South India (1782-1799). The almost life-size wooden semi-automaton consists of a tiger mauling a prostrate figure in European clothes. An organ is concealed inside the tiger's body, and when a handle at the side is turned, the organ can be played and the man's arm simultaneously lifts up and down. Intermittent noises are supposed to imitate the wails of the dying man.

The tiger was discovered by the British in the palace at Tipu Sultan's capital after the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799. The invading army stormed through a breach in the ramparts and, in the ensuing chaos, Tipu and a great many of his soldiers, generals and the citizens of the town were killed. The victorious troops then rampaged through the city, looting valuables from the palace and from private houses, until Colonel Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) gave an order for hanging and flogging which quickly restored order. The contents of the royal treasury were then valued and divided between the British army over the next weeks according to the conventional practice of the period. Some time later, the tiger was discovered in the music room of the palace and was shipped to London, where it arrived in 1800. It was sent to East India House, the headquarters of the East India Company which housed a library and new museum, and soon became one of the most popular exhibits. The Indian Museum, as it became known, moved several times before parts of the collection, including Tipu's tiger, were transferred to the South Kensington Museum, later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Thumb ring

White nephrite jade set with rubies and emeralds in gold mounts
Possibly India or Pakistan
About 1650
Museum no. 02522(IS)

Thumb rings of this type were originally used in archery as a way of releasing the bowstring accurately without injuring the hand. Thumb rings made with precious materials became objects of royal status in the Mughal courts of India. This ring has rubies and emeralds set in a flower pattern with their surfaces carved to resemble petals and leaves. The ring shows the skill of the jeweller, who used the 'kundan' method of setting precious stones into jade and other materials with tiny strips of highly refined gold.