Model
1839-1858 (made)
| Place of origin |
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 'Lion of the Panjab' who had unified the region and created a strong Sikh state, died in June 1839 and was cremated. His successor, Kharak Singh, began construction of a samadh or funerary monument to commemorate him on 7 August in the capital at Lahore, on a site north of Hazuri Bagh near Lahore Fort. After Ranjit Singh's death the kingdom was plagued by rivalry among his successors. The state was annexed in 1849 by the British, and they later completed the monument.
Architectural models were made in many parts of India during the 19th century as souvenirs or records of famous buildings, often commissioned by British residents in India during their stay on the subcontinent. The very large and detailed model of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh's samadh came into the collections of the East India Company's Museum in London. It was displayed imposingly there in the first gallery of the 'New Museum', rooms which opened in 1858. Then in 1879 it was transferred with thousands of other objects from the India Museum to South Kensington, the future V&A.
At that time fires were a common hazard and difficult to control. In the 1880s a fire raged through the annex destroying most of the model. Some of the surviving parts were subsequently transferred to the National Museum of Ireland and the Royal Museum of Scotland. Twelve fragments of the model were all that remained in the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection.
Architectural models were made in many parts of India during the 19th century as souvenirs or records of famous buildings, often commissioned by British residents in India during their stay on the subcontinent. The very large and detailed model of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh's samadh came into the collections of the East India Company's Museum in London. It was displayed imposingly there in the first gallery of the 'New Museum', rooms which opened in 1858. Then in 1879 it was transferred with thousands of other objects from the India Museum to South Kensington, the future V&A.
At that time fires were a common hazard and difficult to control. In the 1880s a fire raged through the annex destroying most of the model. Some of the surviving parts were subsequently transferred to the National Museum of Ireland and the Royal Museum of Scotland. Twelve fragments of the model were all that remained in the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 11 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Wood and ivory, carved and painted. |
| Brief description | Parts of a model of the funerary monument of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Panjab, Pakistan or India |
| Physical description | Twelve surviving parts of a model of the Samadh or funerary memorial monument of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The model was badly damaged by fire in the 1880s. Several parts were destroyed and some of the remaining sections show evidence of damage. Parts 1, 2, 4 and 10 are probably from the interior baradari, the central section of the Samadh, which is carved in white marble. The models replicate lotus bud motifs. Parts 3 and 8 and 11 are probably from the exterior. Parts 5 and 9 are probably from the exterior, from the central section of the gateway to the Samadh which is of red sandstone. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | The original building was completed after 1849. This model was held in the collection of the India Museum, London, and was partially repaired in 1877 according to the records of the India Museum. It was transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879 and severely damaged by fire in the 1880s. |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 'Lion of the Panjab' who had unified the region and created a strong Sikh state, died in June 1839 and was cremated. His successor, Kharak Singh, began construction of a samadh or funerary monument to commemorate him on 7 August in the capital at Lahore, on a site north of Hazuri Bagh near Lahore Fort. After Ranjit Singh's death the kingdom was plagued by rivalry among his successors. The state was annexed in 1849 by the British, and they later completed the monument. Architectural models were made in many parts of India during the 19th century as souvenirs or records of famous buildings, often commissioned by British residents in India during their stay on the subcontinent. The very large and detailed model of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh's samadh came into the collections of the East India Company's Museum in London. It was displayed imposingly there in the first gallery of the 'New Museum', rooms which opened in 1858. Then in 1879 it was transferred with thousands of other objects from the India Museum to South Kensington, the future V&A. At that time fires were a common hazard and difficult to control. In the 1880s a fire raged through the annex destroying most of the model. Some of the surviving parts were subsequently transferred to the National Museum of Ireland and the Royal Museum of Scotland. Twelve fragments of the model were all that remained in the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 944:1/(IS) |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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