V&A Conservation in Action - Playing Tippoo's Tiger

Nigel Bamforth, Senior Conservator and a specialist in ancient and 18th century instruments play Tippoo's Tiger during investigation and analysis of the object.

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  Nonprofits & Activism

[AserHapi]

Now play Freebird

[nimbootelime]

its ironic how they play rule brittania.

[srmalik]

2:12 - Funny how things turn out. Could Tipu Sultan have thought the Brits would be playing Rule Britannia from his toy

[William Morris]

In "Sharpe's Tiger", Bernard Cornwell speculates through the narrative that the constant tone represents the wailing of the victim. The periodic hoot/woof of the large bellows in the head is the growling of the tiger.

[LagiNaLangAko23]

It makes that certain sound even when no key is being played.

[Jack Pearl]

A man who hated the British so much that when he heard a rumor about a general's son being killed by a tiger, he decided to immortalize it with a atomaton/organ. The inside of his head must surely have been a weird and wonderful place.

[Wolfgang Wurlitzer]

The Victoria & Albert alone has enough stolen cultural treasures from India, to keep ten generations of otherwise unemployable 'Specialists' and 'Experts' in retention. The nerve of playing 'Rule Britannia' on Tipoo's Tiger. Well, I guess you reap what you sow. And now your pathetic excuse of little island is deservingly bankrupt, having licked a third of the world into penury and pain. Sweet, sweet, karmic retribution upon you Angles. Enjoy it while it lasts. I never spewed so much venom ...

[Daniel Cooper]

That gave me headache!

[exquisiteoaf]

The mechanical stuff that people were able to produce before the era of mass production was often just insanely amazing and complex, as shown here. We could probably make a copy of this that worked much better nowadays, but chances are it wouldn't be shaped like a tiger viciously mauling a man.

[MrPickypics]

funny piece of sculpture but hey do you get the underlying message? ''we don't want looters and plunderers on our soil''

the emotions of the ones being subjugated is all too clear.