The collection was created in the main by two scions of the Clive family, namely Robert Clive ('Clive of India', 1725-1774, and his son, Edward (1754-1839), who married Henrietta Herbert, the daughter of the 1st Earl of Powis.
The Clive Museum, which was opened in 1987 by the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, includes some 300 items, including the famous tent of Tipu Sultan (1750-1799), dating to the mid-eighteenth century and captured by the British after the Battle of Seringapatam (Srirangapatna, 1799). It is made of painted chintz. There is also a head finial, with gold and jewels, from Tipu Sultan's throne. Of great interest are a pair of Oriental slippers, allegedly owned by Tipu Sultan, which are made of leather and red velvet, and which are embroidered with gold thread salma sitara embroidery.
View a gallery of items in the Museum (2015). Click here.
Source: ARCHER, Mildred, and Robert SKELTON (1987). Treasures from India (The Clive Collection at Powis Castle). Herbert Press/National Trust.
Origin of digital illustration.
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