Frans Francken the Younger was the most famous of an Antwerp dynasty of painters; he trained with his father, Frans the Elder (1542-1616), and joined the Antwerp guild in 1605. He was a painter of religious and historical subjects as well as being the inv

Wunderkammer: Cabinet of Curiosities

'Rooms of wonder' showcase a collector's knowledge of the world

MYSORE

Huma Bird, Bird of Paradise

c. 1787-91

RCIN 48482

This jewelled bird of good fortune, or Huma bird, was presented to George III in 1800 by the Directors of the East India Company. It was later given to Queen Charlotte who left it to her daughters. The Huma bird originally sat on top of the canopy of Tipu Sultan's throne in Mysore.  In 1818, it passed into the collection of the Prince Regent and in the 1820s it was sent to Rundell's for remounting.

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