Today, Tipu Sultan is a controversial historical figure in India with polarising popular and scholarly views, causing some people to idolise him while others remain fiercely dismissive. What cannot be disputed is that he was the most formidable foe faced by the British in India.

DAG presents Tipu Sultan: Image & Distance, an exhibition investigating the history surrounding this historical figure from the Mysore Wars, 222 years after Tipu’s defeat and death at the hands of the British forces during the siege of Seringapatam (present day Srirangapatna, located in Karnataka). Curated by Dr Giles Tillotson (Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Publications, DAG), the exhibition follows Vision and Landscape: Aquatints by Thomas Daniell & William Daniell, and The Hindus: Baltazard Solvyns in Bengal, becoming the third in a series exploring European art on India from the early period of British colonisation.

The events of the four Mysore Wars, fought between Britain’s East India Company against Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore, from 1767 to 1799, were enthusiastically followed by citizens in England. British history painters—artists who specialised in depicting great scenes from history, up to the present—cashed in on this public interest, creating images of British superiority and eventual dethroning of the Mysore rulers.

Even without visiting India, British artists produced canvases depicting turning points such as the surrender as hostages of two of Tipu’s sons to Lord Cornwallis in 1792, the siege of Srirangapatna in 1799, and the death of Tipu at the close of the siege. These works were put on display to a paying public, and circulated as prints, enhancing the artists’ reputation and income, and delighting audiences who rejoiced in the triumph of British arms. DAG has recently acquired a lot of this material, including a major oil painting, The Last Effort and Fall of Tippoo Sultaun (c. 1802), by Henry Singleton and an expansive, 9-foot-wide panoramic view titled The Storming of Seringapatam by Robert Ker Porter. Alongside European artists, contemporary Indian paintings from the region are present, notable among them a selection of 14 Company paintings by a Thanjavur artist dated c. 1770. In total, over 90 artworks and historical objects such as maps, ceramic and wood sculptures, an East India Company medal, and three newspapers from 1799-1800, are on view. The gallery will host events, curated walks, and activities for different audience groups as part of DAG’s efforts to make exhibitions more accessible and interactive. More information is available on our Instagram handles, @dag.world and @dag.museums.