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Originally Posted by Ian
The emblem characterizing Tipu Sultan was the tiger. He identified strongly with this symbol and was called the "Tiger of Mysore." There is a very famous item in the V&A Museum called Tipu's Tiger that is a mechanical musical device portraying a tiger eating a European.
As Jens states, I cannot recall any iconography associated with Tipu that featured a horse.
Ian |
This interesting mechanical toy was indeed most symbolic to Tipu, who had gained a deep hatred for the British, and is keenly representing him(the tiger of Mysore) killing what is described as a 'European' but the allegory is clearly toward the British. It allegedly represents the death of the son of the British commander who was killed by a tiger Dec.22, 1792, but the larger meaning is clear.
Such totemic symbolism is seen in the Seringpatam medal issued by the British in 1808, with a British lion killing a tiger (Mysore).