Click to play videoLondon: Another piece of Indian heritage is up for sale in auction houses abroad.
This time around, it is a gold tiger-finial. The finial is one of the three surviving ones from what once adorned the famous octagonal throne of Tipu Sultan of Mysore.
The Tipu Sultan finial will come under the hammer in London soon.
It measures seven cm, is gem-encrusted and cast in gold.
The finial that once adorned the throne of ‘the tiger of Mysore’, now sits in Bonhams auction house in London, waiting to go under the hammer on April 2 as part of the Islamic and Indian Art sale.
It is estimated that the sale should be able to fetch nearly £800,000 or nearly 6 crore rupees.
The Head of Department at Islamic and Indian Art at Bonhams, Kristina Sanne said, “It’s always rare to come up with something so significant. It generates publicity. People want to know about their history. We have had a great response and are sure there will be excitement on the sale day.”
The finial is not the only item from Tipu Sultan’s holds. There is a brass barrelled gun and a painting of a mosque commissioned by him.
These items were taken away from Mysore after the British defeated Tipu’s army and carried away his treasures in 1799.
It is believed that the items remained in the custody of the family of a prominent politician, Thomas Wallace for at least a hundred years.
“It has an incredible history. It is said to have belonged to Thomas Wallace, a prominent politician, who had a lot of influence in the East India Company. This was probably gifted to him. It was first recorded in an inventory in 1843. This history makes it very unique and extraordinary. We are so proud to offer this on sale,” added Kristina Sanne.
Five years after the sword of Tipu Sultan was auctioned and bought by Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya, this gold finial from the emperor's throne will go under the auctioneer’s hammer.
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