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STUDY SERIES | THE ART OF INDIA | THE TIGER AND THE LION: Looted objects in British collections from the court of Tipu Sultan of Mysore (d. 1799) with Kate Brittlebank

Wednesday 16 May 2018, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

"Tippoo's Tiger" was made for Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore in South India; the British looted it from his capital Srirangapattana (Seringapatam) after its fall in 1799. The wooden semi-automaton tiger was sent to London and is now housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum. 

This illustrated lecture will discuss “Tippoo’s Tiger" and other items brought home from Mysore, including - from Tipu’s throne – the Royal Collection’s life-size gold tiger head with crystal teeth.
 
KATE BRITTLEBANK, formerly Senior Lecturer in Asian History at the University of Tasmania, has written extensively on Tipu Sultan's reign and death. Dr Brittlebank's publications include Tipu Sultan's Search for Legitimacy: Islam and Kingship in a Hindu Domain (1997) and Tiger: The Life of Tipu Sultan (2016).
 

This lecture is a part of THE ART OF INDIA STUDY SERIES. Presented by well-known art, social and cultural historians, the ART OF INDIA study series will explore the artistic, social and cultural worlds where objects, interiors and design meet.

The lectures and events will consider how historical contemporary ideas connect and convey meanings that celebrate culture in the making.

image: maker unknown Tippoo's Tiger (Mechanical organ), Mysore, India, circa 1793  painted wood with metal fixtures collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2545(IS))

SOLD OUT This event is currently at capacity. If you wish to be added to the waitlist, please email visitorservices@johnstoncollection.org or call The Johnston Collection on (03) 9416 2515 and we will contact you if places become available.