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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1792

The Two Sons of Tipu Sahib Handed Over as Hostages

Robert Smirke · c. 1792

An oil sketch by Robert Smirke showing the handover of Tipu Sultan's young sons as hostages to Cornwallis.

Depicts Cornwallis receiving hostages during his campaign against Tipu Sultan in India, reflecting his colonial military role.

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Oil sketch painting of a scene with a tall man in a red coat and white breeches with a blue-green sash, bending toward a kneeling young girl in a white dress who reaches up to him. Surrounding figures in shadow, a woman in a white dress holding a red bundle, and a bearded man in a turban-like headwear on a raised area in the upper right against a dark teal background.
Robert Smirke, The Two Sons of Tipu Sahib Handed Over as Hostages, c. 1792.

About this source

What it is

This is an oil sketch painted around 1792 by the British artist Robert Smirke. It depicts a scene in which the young sons of Tipu Sultan were handed over as hostages, an event connected to Cornwallis's campaigns in India as governor-general.

Why it matters

The painting commemorates a dramatic moment from the Anglo-Mysore Wars, when Cornwallis, representing British power in India, received the sons of an Indian ruler as hostages under a peace settlement. It shows how British artists depicted colonial power and conquest, turning a political and military event into a scene meant to stir strong emotion in British viewers.

Look closer

  • How does the artist use the poses and expressions of the figures to shape the viewer's sympathy?
  • What does the painting leave out about the experience of the children or their family?
  • Why might a British artist choose to paint this scene, and for whom?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Charles Cornwallis on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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