Casket
1782-1799 (made)
Silver filigree casket said to have been owned by Tipu Sultan, Mysore. Pre 17-99.
The gift includes the Victorian glass domed display case with a wooden base.
The gift includes the Victorian glass domed display case with a wooden base.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Brief description | Silver filigree casket said to have been owned by Tipu Sultan, Mysore. Pre 17-99. The gift includes the Victorian glass domed display case with a wooden base. |
| Gallery label | Casket
Silver, partially gilded
Karimnagar, c. 1780-99
IS.4-2013
Given anonymously
This casket was reputedly taken ‘as loot’ at the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 and brought to England. It remained in the same family until it was given to the Museum in 2013. Tipu Sultan’s treasury contained significant quantities of silver, made in India or abroad. Karimnagar, in present-day Telengana state, was the major centre for silver filigree in 18th-century India. The Victorian display case protected the silver from tarnishing.
(22/10/2015) |
| Credit line | Given anonymously |
| Object history | The casket was said by the donor's family to have been taken 'as loot' at the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799. It was brought to England shortly afterwards, and given the glass dome at some point in the 19th century. As this has protected the silver from tarnishing, Metals Conservation recommended keeping the casket inside the dome. It remained in the same English family until 2013 when the owner gave it to the museum, expressing her strong desire that it should be in a public collection rather than sold for her personal benefit. The casket is very similar to one in the British Museum stamped with the Arabic letter 'H', indicating that it belonged to Tipu Sultan, making the supposed history of this piece entirely credible. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.4-2013 |
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| Record created | January 9, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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