In a significant decision aimed at preserving a piece of history and promoting cultural understanding, the UK Arts and Heritage Minister, Lord Stephen Parkinson, has imposed an export ban on a rare 18th-century decorated gun made in India for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore. The gun, known as the “Flintlock Sporting Gun,” is valued at around GBP 2 million and is of immense historical and aesthetic importance.
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) recommended the export ban to allow a UK-based institution to acquire the gun for the purpose of public study. The committee recognized the gun’s significance in shedding light on a “fraught period” in the history of India and the UK. The firearm, dating between 1793 and 1794, was designed for shooting game and bears the signature of its maker, Asad Khan Muhammed. It is believed to have been presented to General the Earl Cornwallis, who had previously fought against Tipu Sultan from 1790 to 1792.
Lord Parkinson expressed the gun’s visual appeal and its role as a testament to the interconnected history between Britain and India. He emphasized the importance of sharing it with the widest possible audience to deepen our understanding of a period that shaped both nations. The gun represents a unique artifact from the era of Tipu Sultan, famously known as the Tiger of Mysore, who fiercely resisted the British East India Company and its allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. Tipu Sultan met his demise on May 4, 1799, while defending his stronghold of Seringapatam, and several remarkable items from that era have surfaced in auctions, such as his Bedchamber Sword, which recently fetched a record-breaking GBP 14 million.
The RCEWA recognized the gun’s significance not only for its aesthetic value but also for its contribution to the study of Tipu Sultan, his court, Lord Cornwallis, British history, and the conclusion of the third Anglo-Mysorean war. Committee member Christopher Rowell described the gun as the finest and most elaborately decorated firearm made for Tipu Sultan. With its advanced technical features and exquisite craftsmanship, the gun is a testament to the sophistication of Tipu Sultan’s court and its workshops, which produced a range of finely crafted metalwork, including weaponry.
The gun’s mechanism allows for two shots to be fired from the single barrel without reloading, indicating the possible influence of itinerant French gunmakers. Rowell noted that Tipu Sultan was fascinated by Western technical innovations, including rocketry, but his affinity for France created tensions with Britain, leading to four wars against Mysore. In 1799, the British army overran the capital of Seringapatam, resulting in the death of Tipu Sultan.
The sporting gun in question is an exceptional piece, presented to General Earl Cornwallis, the victor of the previous war against Tipu Sultan in 1790-2. This war had compelled Tipu Sultan to cede half of his territory. The gun bears Tipu Sultan’s personal emblems, such as a tiger with brass-inlaid eyes carved into the hardwood stock, as well as stylized tiger stripes inlaid in silver along the blued steel barrel. One of the silver mounts even depicts a tiger attacking European soldiers, reminiscent of the famous “Tipu’s Tiger” in the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Rowell concluded by expressing hope that the gun, given its aesthetic significance, provenance, research potential, and relevance to both British and Indian history, would be acquired by a British institution.
