A fine gold-inlaid steel sword (tulwar) from the armoury of Tipu Sultan (reg. 1782-1799)

Mysore, 18th Century

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Footnotes

Provenance
The Royal Armoury of Tipu Sultan, Seringapatam.
Captain James Andrew Dick of Auchnaguie and Logie (1772-1852), Perthshire, Scotland.
Thence by descent until sold by the family in June 2024.

Inscriptions: ح, ha


The present lot is a fine and newly discovered sword from the armoury of the South Indian ruler, Tipu Sultan (reg. 1782-1799), also known as The Tiger of Mysore. An important addition to the canon of weapons associated with the ruler, it not only displays the well-known tiger-related decorative motifs so famously connected with him, but also bears distinctive marks linking it unequivocally with the court of the Sultan, and his fabled Bedchamber Sword. Furthermore, it has an unbroken provenance taking it back to the battle of Seringapatam in 1799 where Tipu met his end.

Distinctive Markings

The most prominent decoration to the sword itself is the repeat design of gold-inlaid tiger stripe or bubri motifs which entirely adorn the hilt. Rather than being executed in koftgari, a thin overlay of gold most common on tulwar hilts from the period, the steel hilt has been deeply chiselled and inlaid with thick gold. This technique is reminiscent of the hilt of the Bedchamber Sword, sold in these rooms in May last year (Islamic and Indian Art, 23 May 2023, lot 175), where gold-inlaid calligraphy adorned the plain steel hilt. Further intriguing details are the appearance of the gold-inlaid Arabic letter ha on the blade, a reference to Tipu's father, Hyder Ali (reg. 1761-1782), and the impressed inscription-filled bubri motifs (Hyder control marks) which appear on the front and back of the chapes of both the present lot and the Bedchamber Sword. Robert Wigington discusses the significance of these types of marks and explains that they come in two forms: 'The name Hyder in Arabic contained in a bubri shaped stamp', and 'The letter H in Arabic, either large or small in size contained in stamps of varying shape' (The Firearms of Tipu Sultan 1783-1799, Hatfield, 1992, p. 15). These first appear after Hyder's death and signify that the weapon was made in, or passed through, Tipu's workshops and was owned by the State. Wigington goes on to explain that those control marks filled with gold en suite with the decoration of the weapon were made for the Sultan personally. It is telling, therefore, that the present lot bears an 'H' on the blade, inlaid in gold. We can therefore confidently presume that, due to the gold-inlaid allusion to Hyder Ali on the blade; the presence of identical Hyder control marks to those on the scabbard of the bedchamber sword; and the fine quality of the gold inaid bubri motifs to the hilt, that the present lot was made for Tipu's personal armoury.

A further decorative motif which connects the sword to Tipu Sultan is the European-style frog stud to one side of the scabbard, struck with a six-petalled flower surrounded by six bubri motifs, resembling a sun. The sun motif, an expression of the ruler's divine right to rule, was another prevalent motif used by Tipu, and was regularly combined with bubri stripes to represent the sun's rays (see Kate Brittlebank, Tiger, The Life of Tipu Sultan, New Delhi, 2016, p. 90). A copper two-paisa coin in the British Museum minted by Tipu AD 1791-2 shows an elephant with a banner bearing such a 'bubri sun' motif (see Susan Stronge, Tipu's Tiger, 2009, p. 31, no. 29). A manuscript in the collection of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta entitled Risala-i-Padakah contains drawings of medals and orders produced by Tipu Sultan. A number of these are formed in the shape of suns with bubri rays (see Adnan Rashid and Nidhin Olikara, 'Awards of the khudadad sarkar: medals from Tipu Sultan's Mysore', Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 33, no. 3, Cambridge University Press, 2023, figs. 3, 4, 5 and 15). According to Rashid and Olikara, Tipu adopted the sun with radiating rays as his banner, and when referring to himself, the most common epithet he and others used was huzur-i-purnur which translates as 'resplendent presence' or 'full of light' (ibid, p. 572). His banner appears in the well known painting by Henry Singleton (1766-1839) depicting the Surrender of Tipu Sultan's two sons to Lord Cornwallis in 1792. Though a secondary source, painted by an artist who never visited India, it is perhaps telling that this motif was known by the European artist to be Sultan's emblem.

Another interesting feature to note is the drilled holes filled with silver on the blade of the sword. One such hole appeared near the point of the blade of the bedchamber sword, though not filled with silver. It is likely that these holes had some sort of symbolic, rather than purely decorative, significance.

Tipu Sultan of Mysore and the Dick Family of Perthshire

The Dick family of Perthshire, Scotland, has an interesting historical relationship with the royal family of Mysore, initially marked by aggression during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore war, but later characterised by advocacy for the displaced descendants of Tipu Sultan.

Dr William Dick (1757-1821) of Tullymet was the first in his family to travel to India as an assistant surgeon in the service of the East India Company in Calcutta. Correspondence preserved at the University of Cambridge document his observations on the ongoing conflict with Tipu Sultan, who he refers to as 'that monster Tippoo', reflecting the prevailing British sentiment toward the Sultan (MacPherson Family Papers, Centre of South Asian Studies, Cambridge University). Dr Dick came from modest origins but returned from India a wealthy man, building Tullymet House as a testament to his achievements. His children were educated in Calcutta, and later occupied prominent positions in both Britain and India.

His eldest son, Major General Sir Robert Henry Dick (1787-1846), became a notable figure, distinguishing himself during the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo. He later returned to India and was killed at the Battle of Sobraon during the Sikh War in 1846. His daughter, Eliza Serena Anne Dick, married William Harris, 2nd Baron Harris (1782-1845) who fought at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799 at the age of 17.

Dr Dick's son Abercromby Dick (b. 1795) became a judge in the Sudder Dewanny Adawlut, the East India Company's supreme civil court in India. Abercromby became a key advocate for the rights of Tipu Sultan's displaced family, and received gratitude from Prince Ghulam Mohammed (1795-1872), for protecting his family from 'the oppression of the unjust magistrate' in Calcutta (Prince Ghulam Mohammed to Abercromby Dick, June 5th 1854, Private Collection).

It was, however, Dr. Dick's nephew who is the key figure in tracing the provenance of the present lot back to the Battle of Seringapatam itself. Captain James Andrew Dick (1772-1852) served as a Lieutenant at Seringapatam in the 75th Highland Regiment of Foot. The regiment formed part of the storming party at the battle, their objective to breach the walls by use of ladders. Lieutenant Dick is therefore likely to have been amongst the first of the British forces to enter the city, and it was his regiment that assisted with the search for Tipu's body after the battle.

According to family tradition, the sword, which was always referred to as 'the sword with the shiny blade', was presented to Lieutenant Dick in recognition of his service.