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Indepth Arts News:
"The Tiger and the Thistle: Tipu Sultan and the Scots in India"
0000-00-00 until 1999-10-03
National Gallery of Scotland
Edinburgh, ,
UK United Kingdom
The year 1999 marks the 200th anniversary of the Storming of
Seringapatam by the British and the death of Tipu Sultan, ruler of kingdom
of Mysore in South India. Many Scots campaigned in India during the four
Mysore Wars and The Tiger and the Thistle celebrates the stirring events of
1799 and their strong associations with Scotland.
Tipu, a fierce brave ruler, was known as the ‘Tiger of Mysore’. Tiger motifs
and tiger stripes decorated his personal possessions, including the
jewellery, weapons and textiles in the exhibition. Related paintings and
watercolours include the magnificent Battle of Pollilur – an Indian artist’s
32ft long copy of the surviving mural at Tipu’s palace, Seringapatam.
In 1780 Tipu defeated the British at Pollilur, and David Baird was among
the Scotsmen taken prisoner. Baird survived and let the final assault on
Seringapatam in 1799. This triumph, and the dramatic discover of the
fallen Tipu’s body were immortalised in Sir David Wilkie’s huge canvas Sir
David Baird Discovering the Body of Tipu Sultan. Baird’s gold medal and
sword are also displayed, alongside portraits of fellow Scots, their
watercolours and Narratives of Contemporary Scots.
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