Painting of historic Tipu Sultan victory over British sold in UK
London, Mar 30: A vividly illustrated painting depicting a historic victory of Mysore ruler Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan over the East India Company in 1780 went under the hammer in London on Wednesday for whopping 630,000 pounds.
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.
As a visual record of the battle and to commemorate his victory, 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 explains.
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 pounds.
The painting extends over 10 large sheets of paper, nearly 32 feetlong, 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 pounds and 60,000 pounds to go under the hammer for 258,300 pounds.
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, it said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
