Sikh Arms and Armour in the Royal Collection
New Walk Museum
Leicester
18th October 2017 6pm to 7.30pm
Sikh historian and author Gurinder Singh Mann takes you on a journey from how Sikh relics and artefacts became part of the Royal Collection, from the artefacts taken after the Anglo Sikh Wars (1845-1849) to the gifts given by the Maharajas of the Punjab to the Prince of Wales in 1876.
Using information from a number of sources, Mann will explain the different types of Sikh weaponry which can be found in the Queen’s Collection.
The Sikh Museum Initiative interactive display will also be on show, where you can learn more about 3d modelled Sikh artefacts and relics.
This is a Free lecture.
The lecture forms part of the exhibition Splendours of the Subcontinent in Leicester.
In October 1875, the Prince of Wales set off on a four-month tour, visiting over 21 localities, which today encompass India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. Travelling nearly 7,600 miles by land and 2,300 miles by sea, he met over 90 rulers of the different regions he visited.
The exhibition tells the story of the tour through watercolours, photographs and 74 exquisite works of art that were presented to the Prince as part of the traditional exchange of gifts. Many of these items were precious heirlooms from the rulers’ toshakhanas – personal treasuries – while others were specially commissioned from local artisans.
Recognising the cultural and artistic merit of the gifts he had received, the Prince made arrangements for the items to be placed on public display when he returned to Britain, first at the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum), and later in Paris and at museums across the UK.
Images from the Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017
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