AN 18TH-CENTURY PAINTED TORADAR
THIS beautiful Indian matchlock musket, known as a toradar, is a stunning example of art and craftmanship, probably originating from Lahore in the Punjab. Highly decorative toradar were predominantly statement pieces, important indicators of wealth and social status, as well as being practical hunting weapons of which this is a stunning example in the Royal Armouries collection.
The wooden stock is covered in polychrome decoration, depicting a tiger hunt and various birds, deer, hounds and mounted characters among dense foliage (a decorative motif typical of 18th/19thcentury Lahore) of red, orange and gold against a green field. The serpentine, trigger, ramrod and square-sectioned barrel are all decorated with foliate scrollwork, executed in gold koftgari. The maker’s signature is found within a cartouche at the breech, reading ‘aml Hajji Sha’aban’. The lock, stock and trigger mechanism are all typical of the toradar; the pentagonal stock is long, straight and slender, while the simple lock is sprung, mounted on a pivot and connected directly to the trigger. Unfortunately, this example has lost its sling and vent pricker, which is usually housed within the conical holder, located just beneath the pan.
When Babur led the Mughal invasion of India in 1526, he employed matchlock muskets and artillery pieces in huge numbers, allowing him to sweep down into India from Kabul, via the Khyber Pass. It is likely that the Mughal invasion facilitated the introduction and proliferation of the matchlock musket throughout India. Eventually, Indian craftsmen developed their own style, resulting in the development of the toradar, a design that has changed little from its conception in the 16th century to the 19th century, when new technology was introduced by European colonial powers.
Along with firearms, the Mughals also introduced the pageantry and grandeur of the Royal Hunt to India. These hunts would take place over vast tracts of land or within walled hunting preserves and were usually led by specialist local hunters called shikaris. These hunts could involve thousands of participants and go on months at a time. On one occasion, Akbar I was accompanied on a Royal Hunt by almost 400,000 soldiers. Women were also active participants. In his diaries, Emperor Jahangir celebrates his wife’s skill with the hunting musket. In this style of hunt the prey would be tracked, often using tame cheetahs, lynx and falcons, and forced from cover by beaters on to the waiting guns. Sometimes, the prey would be driven into pre-prepared pens where the hunting party, usually mounted on horseback or within a howdah, atop an elephant, would then open fire. This was a pastime soon adopted by those Europeans living and working in India.
Such hunts also served to further the socio-political agenda of the Mughal emperors, much like those held in Europe. They were an opportunity for the nobility and courtiers to gather, socialise and demonstrate their bravery, but also for the emperor to judge the mood of his subjects and subtly exert his influence over them. An invitation from the emperor to attend a Royal Hunt was a sign of great personal and political favour.
The Painted Toradar can be viewed by appointment at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, the national museum of arms and armour. Open Wednesday to Sunday (term time) and every day during school holidays, 10am to 5pm. Pre-booking essential. Tel 0113 220 1916; royalarmouries.org.