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Maharaja Ranjit Singh
A pair of pistols made for Tipu Sultan and an intricate painting of Maharaja Ranjit Singh were among the starring lots that helped set a new auction record for Sotheby's in London this week. The Arts of the Islamic World and India' sale on Wednesday fetched a combined total of over 10 million pounds, with both historic Indian auction lots outshining their guide price estimates considerably. The 18th century Mysore ruler's silver-mounted flintlock pistols, made especially for the Tiger of Mysore, sold to a private collector for almost 14 times the estimate for 1.1 million pounds. The painting of the 19th century founder of the Sikh Empire, depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh in procession through a bazaar by artist Bishan Singh set a new record for Sikh art as it was acquired by an institution for 952,500 pounds. This wonderfully detailed processional scene depicts Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh leader, riding his elephant through a bazaar in Lahore, reads the Sotheby's catalogue ...