Description:

Lot 142. A PORTRAIT OF TIPU SULTAN
India, Oil on Canvas, Possibly Tanjore or Hyderabad, Circa 1800

Painted in oil on canvas, the work depicts a finely rendered bust portrait of Tipu Sultan shown in three-quarter profile, seated against a warm ochre background beside a fluted column. The ruler is portrayed wearing a pale gold jama with a pearl-bordered sash and gem-set belt, his distinctive striped turban adorned with a jewelled aigrette and feather plume. The painter’s use of soft tonal transitions and subtle shadowing lends the figure volume and presence, while the palette of golds, browns, and greens evokes the rich textile traditions of South India. The surface shows a smooth aged patina consistent with early oil work from the region.

The reverse reveals the original linen canvas stretched over a simple wooden frame, retaining traces of age and handling.

Portraits of Tipu Sultan were commissioned in both Mysore and the Deccan during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to commemorate his reign and valor. The combination of Indian artistic conventions with European oil technique reflects the hybrid visual culture of the Mysorean court and the contemporaneous Tanjore and Hyderabad schools of painting.

Length x Width: 50 x 40cm

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November 4, 2025 1:00 PM GMT
London, United Kingdom

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