Photos: Rare Sikh empire items on display in London
Jul 13, 2018 15:00 IST
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The Lion of Punjab riding a stallion (engraving after an oil painting by Alfred De Dreux, Paris, 1838). The painting upon which this is engraving was based was commissioned by Ranjit Singh’s trusted Italian officer, General Ventura, and gifted to King Louis-Philippe of France (1773–1850). (Toor Collection)
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Rani Mahtab Kaur (1782–1813), the first wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, (gouache heightened with gold on ivory by Rattan Singh, Punjab or Delhi, circa 1810–30). She became Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s first wife in 1796 in a marriage arranged by her mother, Rani Sada Kaur, a powerful military leader. Mahtab Kaur’s son, Sher Singh, went on to sit on the throne at Lahore. (Toor collection)
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Armlet for the Koh-i-Noor diamond (gold, enamel, rock crystal, glass, rubies, pearls and silk, circa 1830). This rock crystal replica of the ‘Mountain of Light’ in the original Sikh setting captures the dazzling presence of one of history’s most scintillating treasures. (Royal Collection Trust)
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Maharaja Sher Singh wearing the Koh-i-Noor diamond (on the right arm) and Timur ruby (oil on panel by August Theodor Schoefft, circa 1841–42). In a dazzling display of splendour and opulence, this vivid portrait of the second son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh represents the Sikh Empire at its zenith. (Toor Collection)
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Maharaja Ranjit Singh on a Sikh sword. The guard of the hilt, which shows the Sikh king riding an elephant, is inscribed with the tenth Sikh Guru’s philosophy on the nature of kingship: ‘May the cauldron and sword flourish in the world. Grant your protection so that no other may kill me’. (Toor collection)
