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Wednesday’s ‘Arts of the Islamic World and India’ sale brought a combined total of more than £10 million, with both historic Indian auction lots significantly exceeding their guide price estimates.
An 18th-century Mysore ruler’s silver flintlock pistols, made especially for the Tiger of Mysore, have sold to a private collector for £1.1 million, almost 14 times the estimate.
Artist Bishan Singh’s 19th-century painting of the founder of the Sikh Empire, depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh leading a procession through a market, set a new record for Sikh art as it was acquired by an institution for £952,500.
The Sotheby’s catalog entry reads, “This wonderfully detailed procession scene depicts the Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjit Singh riding his elephant through a market in Lahore.”
“He is accompanied by an extraordinary court entourage; his chauri and umbrella bearer and his falconer beside him, preceded by horse and camel-carts carrying his son Sher Singh and a courtesan, and his spiritual and political advisors – Bhai Ram Singh and Raja Gulab Singh.
It reads, “In the foreground the monks and street performers are jostling for the Maharaja’s attention and in the background an array of artisans, kite makers and vendors are busily peddling their wares.”
In line with many of his swords and weapons in the past, Tipu Sultan’s pistols date back to the siege of Seringapatam by the East India Company in May 1799, during which the ruler of Mysore was assassinated and his prized possessions, including his firearms, were looted and taken to Britain.
The catalog entry reads, “An unusual aspect of Tipu Sultan’s pistols is that they are often made mirrored… one with a left-hand lock and the other with a right-hand lock. This combination appears to have been favored by Tipu Sultan, and was one of the other attractions of the kingdom when he presided over his public audiences.”
Apart from the pistols, a silver flintlock blunderbuss or Buchmar musket made for Tipu Sultan sold for £571,500.
The first lot in the sale, a rare Quran manuscript from the late 16th century from the library of Mughal emperor Akbar in India, began selling for £863,600 after 15 minutes of bidding.
Other Indian highlights at the auction included a set of albums containing 52 paintings of Indian costumes, which had been kept in the same family since the original commission 225 years ago, which fetched £609,600.
A Mughal jade “horse’s head” hilt and scabbard also beat expectations, selling for £406,400, and a 17th-century painting of elephants frolicking in a mountain lake in India sold for £139,700.
According to Sotheby’s, 20% of the buyers at this week’s sale were new to the auction house and included lively bidding from 25 countries around the world, including India.