09:00
SOAS
June 29
SOAS, Main Building
What became of Tipu Sultan’s library after Seringapatam fell? Ursula Sims-Williams (Lead Curator, Persian, British Library) traces how select manuscripts were repurposed as symbols of imperial largesse.
What became of Tipu Sultan’s library after Seringapatam fell? Ursula Sims-Williams (Lead Curator, Persian, British Library) traces how select manuscripts were repurposed as symbols of imperial largesse.
Following the fall of Seringapatam in 1799, Tipu Sultan’s library was seized by British forces of the East India Company. After compiling a partial inventory, the Prize Agents argued that the collection should be preserved for posterity rather than treated as ordinary spoils of war. Twelve volumes were accordingly selected for "the King and the universities of the United Kingdom".
This paper brings that dispersed group together for the first time, examining its material features and the circumstances of its redistribution.
The 4th Annual Robert Skelton Memorial Lecture for the Indian Art Circle.
This event is both in person and online via Zoom.
Chida-Razvi@indianartcircle.london@gmail.com
Image credit: Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. Or. 793 CC-BY-NC 4.0