The book "In Pursuit Of Empire: Treasures From The Toor Collection Of Sikh Art", 2018
was written by Amandeep Singh Madra and Parmjit Singh
A pair of gold and seed pearl pendant earrings from the collection of Maharani Jind Kaur (1817–1863) was sold at Bonhams in London in April 2018. The earrings were part of possibly the world's greatest treasury, that of the Sikh Empire which was created by Jind Kaur's husband, The Lion of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839). Jind Kaur was Ranjit Singh's last wife, mother to Maharaja Duleep Singh.
The Punjab empire in the Maharaja’s time extended from the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas; his court was famous for its cultural and scientific achievements, and its riches. Punjab's Sikh ruling elite lavishly patronised artists and craftsmen, to create a stunning array of objects fit for Sikh royals, warriors and saints, and to reflect a vibrant new power on the world's stage.
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Maharani Jind Kaur’s earrings Punjab, 1830-40
Gold, emeralds, diamonds, pearls and red spinel
Toor Collection
The Bonham earrings, whose estimated value was £20,000-30,000, sold for £182,000! See the gold pendant earrings, each crescentic and on gold loops, were finely decorated with granulation. The terminals had floral motifs, the lower edge with a band of suspension loops, each with a seed pearl and small gold leaf pendant. See From the Collection of the Court of Lahore.
Gold, emeralds, diamonds, pearls and red spinel
Toor Collection
Sikh art collector, Davinder Toor, explaining why he spent so much on the Maharani's jewellery, revealed his lasting passion for Sikh art and history. The 2018 summer exhibition at the Brunei Gallery in Russell Square showed a glittering array of 100 works of art objects from leading private collections and major institutions, including stunning Punjabi jewellery. Plus a cannon of Maharaja Ranjit Singh which was used in Anglo-Sikh war, a receipt that marked transfer of Kohinoor diamond from Sikhs to the British, Jowahir Singh's sword (the Maharani’s brother), Maharaja Duleep Singh's clothing and portraits of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
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gold pendant earrings, 6.5 cm. high
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Maharani Jind Kaur's earrings
The Lahore Treasury held the fabled Koh-i-Noor diamond and the Timur ruby, both of which were gifted to Queen Victoria by the the East India Company directors after Punjab was annexed. Of the hundreds of personal items of jewellery documented as having belonged to Jind Kaur, only four are known to exist today.
Objects from the Toor Collection have been exhibited at major global institutions, including the Kunsthalle Munich, Art Gallery of Ontario Toronto, Asian Art Museum San Francisco, and were featured in the book In Pursuit of Empire, 2018.
Now I need to ask how the Maharani Jind Kaur’s jewellery left the family and was sold off. Toor wrote that Jind Kaur was the most famous of the 20 wives of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, leader of the Sikh empire from 1801-39. They married in 1835 and gave birth to their only son Duleep Singh in 1838. When her husband died in 1839, Jind Kaur was the only wife not to commit sati on his funeral pyre. Their very young son was proclaimed maharaja of the Sikh empire in 1843 and Jind Kaur became the child’s regent.
Now I need to ask how the Maharani Jind Kaur’s jewellery left the family and was sold off. Toor wrote that Jind Kaur was the most famous of the 20 wives of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, leader of the Sikh empire from 1801-39. They married in 1835 and gave birth to their only son Duleep Singh in 1838. When her husband died in 1839, Jind Kaur was the only wife not to commit sati on his funeral pyre. Their very young son was proclaimed maharaja of the Sikh empire in 1843 and Jind Kaur became the child’s regent.
sold at Bonhams in 2018 for a record amount of money
Box says "From the Collection of the Court of Lahore".
After British victory in the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-6), the East India Company invaded and annexed Punjab in 1849, despite armed opposition organised and led by Jind Kaur. Viewed by the colonial rulers as having a dangerous influence over the affairs of state, the maharani was forcibly separated from her son and banished to another part of British India. 600+ pieces of her jewellery were impounded by the British authorities in Varanasi.
By the mid-19th century, the Sikh kingdom had met its demise at the hands of the British Empire. After Punjab was annexed, Duleep Singh was taken by the British and in 1854 was sent into exile in England. He was not reunited with his mother Jind Kaur until 1861, but by then the last Punjabi queen of was unwell and virtually blind. The poor woman died in London in 1863 and her casket was shipped back to Bombay in 1864.
Having lost his battle against the India Office over the tricky issue of his financial allowances, the maharaja decided to auction off some of the family’s possessions in order to raise a large amount of money to return to India.
After British victory in the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-6), the East India Company invaded and annexed Punjab in 1849, despite armed opposition organised and led by Jind Kaur. Viewed by the colonial rulers as having a dangerous influence over the affairs of state, the maharani was forcibly separated from her son and banished to another part of British India. 600+ pieces of her jewellery were impounded by the British authorities in Varanasi.
By the mid-19th century, the Sikh kingdom had met its demise at the hands of the British Empire. After Punjab was annexed, Duleep Singh was taken by the British and in 1854 was sent into exile in England. He was not reunited with his mother Jind Kaur until 1861, but by then the last Punjabi queen of was unwell and virtually blind. The poor woman died in London in 1863 and her casket was shipped back to Bombay in 1864.
Having lost his battle against the India Office over the tricky issue of his financial allowances, the maharaja decided to auction off some of the family’s possessions in order to raise a large amount of money to return to India.
Emeralds, diamonds, rubies, pearls and gold
The Lahore Treasury held the fabled Koh-i-Noor diamond and the Timur ruby, both of which were gifted to Queen Victoria by the the East India Company directors after Punjab was annexed. Of the hundreds of personal items of jewellery documented as having belonged to Jind Kaur, only four are known to exist today.
And see amazing Maharani earrings featured gold flower heads, set with emeralds in the centre and enclosed by lasque-cut diamonds. The pierced bell drops featured emerald cabochons and more diamonds, with spinels terminating in multi-tiered pearl fringes with glass beads.
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Maharani Jind Kaur wearing many jewellery pieces
Portrait painted by George Richmond in 1862
Portrait painted by George Richmond in 1862
See the film The Black Prince (2018) that told the story of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire, and his struggle with Queen Victoria.