{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O96340"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O96340/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2012FG5750/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2012FG5750/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2012FG5750","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FG5751","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FG5752","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AY1355","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AT5984","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O96340/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O96340","accessionNumber":"IS.59-1995","objectType":"Thumb ring","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Thumb rings of this shape were originally used in archery as a way of releasing the bowstring accurately without injuring the hand. In the Mughal period, rings made from various hardstones including jade and agate, as in this example, were emblems of royalty. This ring was one of a group of three, all said to have been acquired immediately after the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 when the contents of Tipu Sultan's treasury were shared out between the British soldiers who defeated the ruler of Mysore. A note written by a former owner, Hannah Baillie (nee Greensill), wife of the Hon. William Douglas Hall Baillie, Member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand (1827-1922), states: \"These thumb rings were your Gt. grandfather's share of the loot taken after the 3rd (& last) siege of Seringabatam [sic] in 1799 when the great Fortress was taken and Tippoo Saib himself slain whilst fighting desperately, together with 8000 men ...\". Mrs Baillie wrote this 'for Para Marlborough & formerly Captain in 24th Regt. given to their daughter Eliza Balombe Brown, & then to her daughter Marjorie Spencer' (Spinks, Indian and Islamic Works of Art, London Monday 27 April to Friday 22 May, 1992, cat. 48). ","physicalDescription":"Thumb ring, agate, with variegated bands of colour ","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"agate","id":"AAT11135"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Agate","categories":[{"text":"Jewellery","id":"THES48930"}],"styles":[{"text":"Mughal","id":"AAT18939"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2012FG5750","2012FG5751","2012FG5752","2006AY1355","2006AT5984"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"020","id":"THES394701"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Archer's thumb ring","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"India","id":"x29790"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"c.1650-1700","earliest":"1645-01-01","latest":"1700-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Mughal empire"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Presented by the Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Length","value":"4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"2.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"1.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"This was bought from Spinks (Indian and Islamic Works of Art, Monday 27 April to Friday 22 May 1992, cat. 48) , but was first offered for sale at Sotheby's on 24 April 1990 (lot 150 - bought in). It was part of a group of 3, all with the same provenance, given in the text for lot 149: \"A note, written by Hannah Baillie (nee Greensill), wife of the Hon. William Douglas Hall Baillie, Member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand, reads as follows: \"These thumb rings were your Gt. grandfather's share of the loot taken after the 3rd (& last) siege of Seringabatam [sic] in 1799 when the great Fortress was taken and Tippoo Saib himself slain whilst fighting desperately, together with 8000 men ...\". A later footnote states that the note was written by Mrs Baillie 'for Para Marlborough & formerly Captain in 24th Regt. given to their daughter Eliza Balombe Brown, & then to her daughter Marjorie Spencer'.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Thumb ring, agate,  Mughal, second half of the 17th century.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"PIACENTI, Kirsten Aschengreen, Susan Stronge, Cristina Del Mare, Rita Sharma et al., \r\nGioielli dall'India dai Moghul al Novecento, La Rinascente, Milan, 1996, catalogue number 161, p.187.\r\n\r\n\r\nSusan Stronge, ‘The Lapidary Arts in the Mughal Empire’, in Roda Ahluwalia, ed. Reflections on Mughal Art & Culture, Niyogi Books/The K.R. Cama Oriental Institute, Mumbai, 2021, pp. 182-207. See fig. 4 (left).\r\n\r\n"},{"reference":{"text":"Jackson, Anna and Ji Wei (eds.) with Rosemary Crill, Ainsley M. Cameron and Nicholas Barnard, compiled by the Palace Museum, translated by Yuan Hong, Qi Yue and Liu Ran. <u>The Splendour of India' Royal Courts : Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum</u>. Beijing: the Forbidden City Publishing House, 2013. Text in English and Chinese. ISBN 9787513403917.","id":"AUTH325369"},"details":"pps.118-119","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Stronge, Susan, Tipu's Tigers, London: V&A Publishing, 2009 ISBN. 9781851775750","id":"AUTH337013"},"details":"p. 26, no. 22","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Indian Jewellery: The V&A Collection London: V&A Publishing, 2008 Number: ISBN 9781851774838","id":"AUTH341795"},"details":"p. 35, pl. 2.6","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Thumb ring, agate, Mughal, late 17th century or early 18th century. This Mughal thumb ring was one of a group said to have been taken at the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 when the British Army defeated Tipu Sultan, whose famous 'Tiger' may be seen in this gallery. As the court of Mysore was organised according to Mughal principles and Tipu Sultan is known to have collected Mughal artefacts of similar quality, the tradition is not unlikely. Presented by the Friends of the V&A.","date":{"text":"About 1990","earliest":"1990-01-01","latest":"1990-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["IS.59-1995"],"accessionNumberNum":"59","accessionNumberPrefix":"IS","accessionYear":1995,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-06-05","recordCreationDate":"2004-03-05","availableToBook":false}}