M A I N   N E W S

Mughal treasures sold for £ 4.7 million

London, April 28
Rare Mughal treasures, brought from India by British colonial commander Robert Clive, were sold for £ 4.7 million at an auction at Christie’s here.

The collection, which was sold by Clive’s descendants, fetched more than three times Christie’s estimate as bidders competed fiercely for the historic 17th and 18th century works of art yesterday.

The highest price was more than £ 2.9 million paid by an anonymous bidder for a 17th century jeweled flask which until recently was on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum here.

The flask was once part of the collection at the imperial court in Delhi and was probably looted from the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah by Nadir Shah, a Persian king who invaded India in 1739.

It is uncertain how it was acquired by Clive of India, as he became known after a series of campaigns culminating in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 which brought most of the sub-continent under British rule.

It may have been booty after his victory over Siraj-ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, at Plassey. The new Nawab, Mir Jaffir, invited the British commander to take what he wanted from his treasury.

A fly whisk made from banded agate and inset with rubies, which had been expected to fetch between £ 5,000 and £ 8,000, was sold for £ 901,250.

A dagger with a pistol-grip hilt inlaid with rubies, emeralds and diamonds fetched £ 733,250 and a huqqa set decorated with sapphires was bought for £ 94,850.

Clive, born in 1725, went to work for the East India Company as a clerk when he was 18. He later accepted a commission in the company’s army.

When he returned from India to England in 1767, he faced a parliamentary inquiry into corruption allegations. Although he was cleared, he committed suicide in 1774. — PTI