The Body of Tippo Sultaun Recognised by his Family

Despite Henry Singleton’s felicity in depicting English victories in the subcontinent, he never travelled to India. Singleton’s biggest claim to fame in India are his Tipu Sultan paintings, depicting various episodes of the engagement of the fearless Mysore ruler with the East India Company’s army; the latter believed Tipu to be their most indomitable adversary. In this engraving, the artist recreates what he must have imagined of the heart-breaking moment of the people faced with the body of their ruler—the grief unparalleled over the uncertainty the event unleashed for an entire kingdom.