TIPU’S TIGER

Tipu’s Tiger is on exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. Basically, it is a carved piece of wood made to look like a British soldier being mauled by an Indian Tiger. The soldier is lying flat on his back, while the tiger is crouched on top of him, chewing his shoulder. The soldier is nearly the size of a real man, with the tiger, smaller than a life-size tiger, but still quite large. This piece is painted, and for its age, the paint is still very vibrant with reds and golds. The soldier wears the red uniform jacket of a British soldier, with blue pants, white stockings and black boots and hat. Tipu’s Tiger is animatronic, meaning that it moves and even makes sounds. The soldier’s hand comes up, and he moans a little when he is being mauled and the tiger’s head goes up and down while he growls, as he is attacking the man. Also, this tiger actually houses an organ inside of it. Music can be played by accessing the keyboard of the organ on the side of the tiger. 

This art piece was likely made sometime in the 17th century amid tensions between England and India. Tipu was a sultan in India and this piece was in his palace. It is amusing to think about Tipu’s guests admiring and laughing at the tiger eating the British soldier while music was being played. When this object was found, it was immediately popular and immediately went on exhibition in several places, and finally on exhibition in the Victoria and Albert Museum ever since. People must like it so much because of its David and Goliath quality, where India, the less powerful country, is being portrayed as victorious over England, the most powerful empire of the world at the time. Tipu’s Tiger is sort of a symbolic victory over England, which people in India would have loved.