Tiger Claws
ca. 17th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This weapon belonged to James Grant Duff (1789- 1858), an officer of the East India Company who was appointed Resident (political agent) of the Satara State in 1818. The weapon is accompanied by a fitted case, made after Grant Duff returned to Scotland, that is inscribed: "The 'Wagnuck' of Sivajee With Which He Killed the Moghul General. This Relic was given to Mr. James Grant-Duff of Eden When he was Resident at Satara By the Prime Minister of the Peshwa of the Marathas". This refers to a famous moment during the complicated political upheavals of 17th-century India. During a protracted military engagement in 1659, the Maratha leader Shivaji and Afzal Khan, the commander of the opposing Bijapur army, arranged a truce in order to meet in a tented enclosure, virtually alone. Both came armed: Shivaji wore mail under his clothes and metal skull protection under his turban. He also held a metal ‘tiger claws’ weapon concealed in his hand. The two men fought, and Shivaji disembowelled his opponent. The last Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the Marathas, Baji Rao II, surrendered to the British in June 1818 after defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War and was banished to Bithoor near Kanpur. It is possible he also surrendered this weapon to Grant Duff. Whether it is that used by Shivaji nearly 160 years earlier is, however, impossible to verify.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Steel |
Brief description | Tiger claws, steel, Deccan, 17th century |
Physical description | Steel tiger claws, bagh nakh, a weapon designed to be concealed in the palm of the hand. It has four ‘claws’ mounted on a bar with two rings for the first and fourth fingers. The difference in size between the two rings indicates that it is a weapon to be used in the left hand. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by Mr Adrian Grant Duff |
Object history | This weapon was gifted to the V&A by Adrian Grant Duff, a descendant of James Grant Duff (1789- 1858) who was an officer of the East India Company. The object has a red leather case inscribed "The 'Wagnuck' of Sivajee With Which He Killed the Moghul General. This Relic was given to Mr. James Grant-Duff of Eden When he was Resident at Satara By the Prime Minister of the Peshwa of the Marathas". After serving in Satara, James Grant Duff returned home to Scotland. In 1825 he succeeded to the family estate in Eden and only then took the name Duff, so we know the inscription, and probably the box itself, post-date this. Nominal File: Grant Duff, Adrian via Boyle, Mrs U.F. MA 11/G1482 |
Summary | This weapon belonged to James Grant Duff (1789- 1858), an officer of the East India Company who was appointed Resident (political agent) of the Satara State in 1818. The weapon is accompanied by a fitted case, made after Grant Duff returned to Scotland, that is inscribed: "The 'Wagnuck' of Sivajee With Which He Killed the Moghul General. This Relic was given to Mr. James Grant-Duff of Eden When he was Resident at Satara By the Prime Minister of the Peshwa of the Marathas". This refers to a famous moment during the complicated political upheavals of 17th-century India. During a protracted military engagement in 1659, the Maratha leader Shivaji and Afzal Khan, the commander of the opposing Bijapur army, arranged a truce in order to meet in a tented enclosure, virtually alone. Both came armed: Shivaji wore mail under his clothes and metal skull protection under his turban. He also held a metal ‘tiger claws’ weapon concealed in his hand. The two men fought, and Shivaji disembowelled his opponent. The last Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the Marathas, Baji Rao II, surrendered to the British in June 1818 after defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War and was banished to Bithoor near Kanpur. It is possible he also surrendered this weapon to Grant Duff. Whether it is that used by Shivaji nearly 160 years earlier is, however, impossible to verify. |
Bibliographic reference | Jackson, Anna and Jaffer, Amin (eds), with Deepika Ahlawat. Maharaja : the splendour of India's royal courts. London, V&A Publishing, 2009. ISBN.9781851775736 (hbk.), ISBN.1851775730 (hbk.).plate 5, p.17 |
Collection | |
Accession number | IS.33-1971 |
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Record created | April 25, 2007 |
Record URL |
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