L3456-001

Long Caption: Figurehead of HMS 'Seringapatam' a 46-gun fifth-rate (frigate) built for the Navy in India, at Bombay Dockyard, in 1819. It became a receiving ship in 1847 and in 1852 a coal hulk at the Cape of Good Hope, where it was broken up in 1873. The seated turbanned figure is, perhaps erroneously, presumed to represent Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore, riding on a roc, a mythical bird of great strength. The upper part of the body is unclothed, more like an elephant mahout, with the right arm raised to support a sun umbrella made of metal. The umbrella, normally born by attendants, is both a practical accoutrement and a symbol of the status of the person sheltered. Tipu was the son and successor of Haidar Ali, Sultan of Mysore, both having a long and bloody antagonism to the extension of British rule in India. Artist: unknown Date: 1819 Medium: pine; copper; iron; lead paint Size: Overall: 1676 mm x 1143 mm x 1575 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.