Lion's Teeth: The Artillery of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

[Cannoneer]

Lately I've been looking for articles on, and photos of Indian cannons. I found this site some time ago, but when I look at the photos (of which I wish there were more, and of higher resolution) I'm still amazed by the amount, and quality of the ornamentation on both the barrels and carriages. I also found the text very interesting, especially when it describes how the Maharaja's master cannon makers were copying the best features they found on British artillery. Sikh Cannon

http://www.sikhspectrum.com/112005/images/zz067.jpg

http://www.sikhspectrum.com/112005/images/z54.jpg

[dan610324]

3 letters would be enough to comment the pictures

    WOW

[Max Caliber]

Boom J, Here is a spectacular Burmese cannon I like a lot which, I believe, is located at a British museum.

[Cat Whisperer]

Those are more impressive than HOLLYWOOD !

[Zulu]

I'm not making a wooden dragon cannon
Zulu

[RocklockI]

WOW .Dan was right 

[Cannoneer]

Max,
Yes, these dragon cannons from Burma are incredible, and the historians say that the Burmese actually painted them with bright colors like those shown in the photo that you posted. I don't know where that gun is located, but this one is at the Fort Nelson Museum in Britain, and to my mind it is just as incredible to see the crisp details in the cast bronze with a natural patina, all the paint being long gone. This bronze beauty is dated 1790.

 
 
 

[Max Caliber]

Boom J, Though somewhat hard to recognize as such, that sea serpent looking devise on the top right side of the trail in the top picture appears to be a portfire cutter. That's the location the British mounted them on some field pieces.

[Cannoneer]

Max; I did notice the portfire clipper when I first saw the photo, and I even recognized the front half as the rendition of a peacock, but the rear half I couldn't identify.
This is from the text: "The portefire cutters are cast in the form of peacocks with fishtails and the limber hooks as elephant heads."
The more I look at the details of the hardware on these carriages, the more amazed I am by the abilities of the craftsmen that made them.

[Cannoneer]

"The Illustrated London News of Oct 1848 described the Windsor Guns as 'Striking and beautiful specimens of oriental art'. The Sutlej guns have many similar features in decoration, most notably the use of applied and inlaid copper, brass and steel with common decorative themes to the fittings. The portefire cutters are cast in the form of peacocks with fishtails and the limber hooks as elephant heads. Even small fittings such as lifting handles and the armrests on the gunners' seats are cast in elaborate animal forms and 'the general style of ornamentation is characterised by excessive prettiness.' None of the paired carriages are identical. There is variation throughout, from the general shape down to the smallest fittings demonstrating that many craftsmen were involved."

Even the handle on the bucket of this incredible piece ends in some form of abstract animal head.


If you enlarge this pic you can see that the limber pintle hook is indeed the representation of an elephant head with the trunk forming the hook. The Padouk wood used on these carriages and limbers is also very attractive; I'm gonna have to try and get me some of this stuff.


It's easy to see how much the makers of these carriages were influenced by the design of famous British Congreve block trail carriage.






Ornate bronze 9-pounder howitzer dated 1838.

[carronader]

hope you got plenty of of storage left in your computer boom........could be source of fresh info in these eyetalian books.........gotta be said .......you're providing good service for the forum in revealing new sources .......pics.........info.........I do appreciate your contributions........damn gotta go have a lie down..........being nice to boomj.............must be running a fever.  
 
 Internet giant Google has made a deal with the Italian government to put the contents of two national libraries on the internet.

As many as one million antiquarian books, including works by Dante, Machiavelli and Galileo, will be scanned and made freely available online.

Fiona Werge reports.

[Cannoneer]

A paragraph of the text from the link I posted:
"Indeed, a whole host of workshops must have grown up around the foundries to satisfy the almost insatiable demand for high quality metalwork. The carriages and limbers are all of Padouk, a form of Burmese teak, and the Rotunda examples even use mother of pearl inlay. The Maharaja was clearly prepared to range far and wide for materials to lavish on his artillery. Smyth also identified two Howitzer patterns as belonging to 'The Orderly Battery of His Late Highness the Maha Rajah Runjeet Sing' [Sic]. Following Mughal and Maratha practice, Ranjit Singh is known to have had 'Artillery of the Stirrup', among his household troops. The walls of Lahore would often shake to thunderous gun salutes at festivals and public events as they had done in the Mughal period."

The type of wood used on the carriages and limbers is actually spelled Padauk, and it is not a form of Burmese (or any other variety of) teak. Padauk is amongst the heaviest, hardest and strongest timber found in Southeast Asia, and the Andaman Islands. There is also Paduak lumber that comes from central and West Africa.
"Physical Properties:Hard, heavy, and strong with exceptional decay resistance and dimensional stability."
"Working Properties:Works well with hand and machine tools. Glues easily and holds nails and screws well. Finishes to a beautiful sheen without the need for stain."
This wood is readily available in the States.