Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Painting of Tipu Sultan's 18c. historic victory over British sold for £630,000 in London

Painting of Tipu Sultan's 18c. historic victory over British sold for £630,000 in London

A painting depicting the historic victory of Mysore ruler Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan over the East India Company in 1780 was sold for £630,000 in London.

The painting The Battle of Pollilur, which took place on September 10, 1780 as part of the Second Anglo-Mysore war, was the centrepiece of the Arts of the Islamic World and India sale at Sotheby’s auction house on Wednesday (30).


Tipu Sultan had commissioned a painting of the Battle of Pollilur as part of a large mural for the newly-built Daria Daulat Bagh in Seringapatam in 1784.

What this painting has is the terror and anarchy and violence of battle. It’s arguably the greatest Indian picture of the defeat of colonialism that survives. It’s unique and fantastic artwork,” said Sotheby’s expert William Dalrymple, author of The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company.

Tipu Sultan was probably the most effective opponent that the East India Company ever faced. Tipu showed that the Indians could fight back, that they could win… the first time that a European army is defeated in India is this Battle of Pollilur,” he said.

According to the auction house, three existing copies of the original Pollilur painting are known – three details in a miniature in the Baroda Museum, 24 preparatory paintings depicting sections of the series, and the complete panorama sold this week, comfortably beating its lowest guide price of £500,000.

The painting extends over 10 large sheets of paper, nearly 32 feet-long, and focuses in on the moment when the East India Company’s ammunition tumbril explodes, breaking the British square, while Tipu’s cavalry advances from left and right, “like waves of an angry sea,” according to Mughal historian Ghulam Husain Khan.

At Pollilur, Tipu Sultan – known as the Tiger of Mysore – inflicted on the East India Company what has become known as the most “crushing defeat” ever and the painting captures the “sheer energy” of that victory.

Another highlight at the auction was “A gem-set and enamelled gold shield” from 19th century Jaipur, which outperformed its guide price range of between £40,000 and £60,000 to go under the hammer for £258,300.

This magnificent shield must have been crafted to commemorate a particular event; several shields were presented to the Prince of Wales during his visit to India in 1875-76, all luxuriously enamelled and set with precious stone,” Sotheby's said. “The colour scheme and the motifs in the roundels are comparable to contemporaneous Jaipur craftsmanship."

(PTI)

More For You

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for public sector workers at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025. (Photo by CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer faced the most serious test of his leadership on Tuesday (1) as his government’s flagship welfare reforms came under fierce attack from within his own party.

The day was marked by emotional speeches, last-minute concessions, and a deep sense of division among Labour MPs, many of whom said the proposed changes would push vulnerable people into poverty

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit.

Three senior hospital staff arrested in Lucy Letby case probe

POLICE on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff members at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies. The arrests were made on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

The investigation was launched in 2023 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) in northwest England, following Letby’s conviction and life sentence for killings that took place between 2015 and 2016.

Keep ReadingShow less
food-delivery-getty

Uber Eats and Deliveroo will tighten ID checks, including facial verification, to curb illegal migrant work after UK government pressure. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Food delivery platforms to step up ID checks after migrant work abuse reports

FOOD delivery companies Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have agreed to strengthen security measures, including facial verification checks, to prevent irregular migrants from working through their platforms, following criticism from the UK government.

The announcement came after the Labour government summoned the three firms for a meeting in response to a report by The Sun which exposed how some migrants were bypassing rules and working illegally in the gig economy sector.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Joseph

Joseph has chaired several BRIT Awards shows and was an executive producer of the Oscar and BAFTA-winning 2015 documentary Amy.

David Joseph named new CEO of the RSA

THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS (RSA) has announced the appointment of David Joseph CBE as its next chief executive officer. He will take over the role in September, succeeding Andy Haldane.

Joseph previously served as chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK for 17 years. During his time at the company, he oversaw its transformation into a global exporter of British music and worked with several major international artists.

Keep ReadingShow less
Labour Rift Deepens as MPs Prepare for Crucial Welfare Bill Vote

People take part in a protest against disability welfare cuts on June 30, 2025 in London. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

MPs to vote on welfare bill amid Labour divisions

DOZENS of Labour MPs are expected to vote against the government’s welfare reforms despite recent concessions aimed at easing opposition.

The government had initially planned to tighten eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (Pip) but later said the stricter rules would only apply to new claimants from November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less