An 18th century Indian sword looted by British troops in 1799 fetched £14.1million (including costs) at a Bonhams auction in London on Tuesday May 23 – a Bonhams price said is an auction record for an Islamic and Indian object.
The meter-long sword, its ornate hilt encrusted with gold calligraphy, belonged to Tipu Sultan (1751-1799). Also known as the Tiger of Mysore, he was the Muslim ruler of a southern Indian kingdom and fought several battles against the East India Company.
Tipu Sultan’s chamber sword and scabbard Courtesy Bonhams
Created by Mughal blacksmiths and known as the bedroom sword, the weapon was taken from Tipu Sultan’s palace at Seringapatam by East India Company troops who had defeated his army. Tipu Sultan was killed in battle.
The sword was presented as a trophy to Major General David Baird by the victorious British Army “in token of their high esteem for his courage and conduct in the assault which he commanded and in which Tipu Sultan been slain”, as an inscription added to indicates the steel blade of the sword. It remained in Baird’s family until 2003 when it was auctioned off at Dix Noonan Webb (now Noonans) in London for ₤150,000.
Inscription on the blade of Tipu Sultan’s chamber sword Courtesy Bonhams
“The sword has an extraordinary history, stunning provenance and unparalleled craftsmanship,” says Nima Sagharchi, head of Islamic and Indian art at Bonhams. “It was no surprise that there was such a heated argument between two bidders on the phone and a bidder in the room.”
Bonham’s declined to provide information on the winning bidder.
In 2021, the British government issued a temporary export ban on a tiger-headed finial from Tipu Sultan’s throne, looted after the same defeat, describing it as “an important symbolic object in the Anglo-Indian history of the last years of the eighteenth century.
Moving was criticized at the time by commentators who pointed out that the tiger’s head – like the sword – had entered Britain as spoils of war.
