{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O84147"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84147/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020MP4845/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020MP4845/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2020MP4845","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CR2475","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CR2498","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O84147/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O84147","accessionNumber":"3440(IS)","objectType":"Shield","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This steel shield was made in the Panjab in the early 19th century. The ornate decoration overlaid in gold depicts minute birds and animals pursued by hunters on foot armed with bows and arrows, and horsemen brandishing guns. It was a gift to the Indian Museum in London from ‘Maharaja Soochet Sing’. Raja Suchet Singh (1801-44) belonged to the Hindu Dogra family who held high office at the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore and amassed a vast wealth from land revenues. The shield may have been brought to England by Lord Ellenborough, the British Governor-General of India who Suchet Singh met in 1842. The catalogue of Indian arms and armour compiled by Wilbraham Egerton in 1880 gives an accession number of '8616-'50), indicating that it was listed in the India Museum's records in 1850.","physicalDescription":"Blued steel, chiselled in low relief and overlaid with gold. Design of floral arabesques, hunters, animals and birds. A central rosette of floriated ornament is  surrounded by four bosses encrusted with diamonds. Lined with silk brocade, see Materials and Techniques note.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Steel, blued, chiselled and overlaid with gold; four bosses set with diamonds; lined with silk brocade.\r\nNote from conservator Joanna Whalley 08/06/2017: \r\nSet in kundan over silver foils, since tarnished. The diamonds are a mixture of cuts, mostly lasques with several shallow rose-cuts (known in India as 'polki')\r\nThere is one diamond with an eight-cut (single-cut) crown, no pavilion (within a trefoil leaf group); and several table-cut crowns, no pavilions.\r\nA number of the diamonds are broken, suggesting impact/s of some sort.\r\nAvalon Fotheringham, 07/08/2017:The red brocade was woven with silk and silver-gilt-wrapped thread (so would have looked red and gold);  the yellow brocade was woven with silk and silver-wrapped thread (so yellow and silver). The brocades were most likely woven in Gujarat and are probably contemporary with the shield going abroad in 1850-1855. The red lining has been sewn together from smaller fragments, including a bit of the selvedge from one end. It may  have been re-lined at the time it was sent out. \r\nThe red lining is laying on top of an underlay of cotton or wool,  and the yellow knuckle pad is lined on the underside with what looks like wool felt. It would probably be wadded with cotton. They have both been trimmed with silk-and-metal-wrapped ribbon. \r\n\r\n","categories":[{"text":"Arms & Armour","id":"THES48992"},{"text":"India Museum","id":"THES286062"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2020MP4845","2009CR2475","2009CR2498"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES390042"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Shield","id":""}],[{"text":"dhal","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Lahore","id":"x30874"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1800-1840","earliest":"1800-01-01","latest":"1840-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Transferred from the India Museum in 1879","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"443","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"57","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"460","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Technicians measurement, August 2017"}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Given to the East India Company by Raja Suchet Singh (1801-1844) in 1850 and transferred from the East India Company museum to South Kensington in 1879.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Shield <i>dhal</i> of  steel, blued, chiselled and overlaid in gold with flowers, birds and beasts, with four applied openwork bosses set with diamonds. Lahore, first half of the 19th century.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Egerton, Wilbraham, <i>An illustrated handbook of Indian arms; being a classified and descriptive catalogue of the arms exhibited at the India museum: with an introductory sketch of the military history of India</i>, London, 1880","id":"AUTH353483"},"details":"p.134","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Lord Egerton of Tatton, Indian and Oriental Armour, London, 1896, p. 134, Cat. No. 697"}],"production":"Presented to the East India Company by Raja Suchet Singh (1801-1844). Transferred from the India Museum to South Kensington Museum in 1879.","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"SHIELD\r\nSteel, chiselled, blued and overlaid with gold; the applied bosses set with diamonds; lined with silk brocade; silk brocade knuckle pad\r\nProbably Lahore; the silk probably Gujarat\r\nFirst half of the 19th century\r\n3440(IS)\r\nThe ornate gold decoration depicts minute birds and animals pursued by hunters on foot armed with bows and arrows, and horsemen brandishing guns. It was a gift to the Indian Museum in London from ‘Maharaja Soochet Sing’. Raja Suchet Singh (1801-44) belonged to the Hindu Dogra family who held high office at Ranjit Singh’s court and amassed a vast wealth from land revenues. The shield may have been brought to England by Lord Ellenborough, the British Governor-General of India who met Suchet Singh in 1842.\r\n","date":{"text":"August 2017","earliest":"2017-08-01","latest":"2017-08-31"}}],"partNumbers":["3440(IS)"],"accessionNumberNum":"3440","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Egerton Catalogue Number","id":"THES50387"},"number":"697"},{"type":{"text":"India Museum Slip Book","id":"THES50388"},"number":"8616-'50"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2017JX4964","2017KC4751","2020MN9728","2020MN9729"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-13","recordCreationDate":"2003-09-10","availableToBook":false}}