Live Auction 5466Hanham Court - A Pastoral Idyll
Christie’s roundel
Lot 210

TWO MAHDIST TUNICS

KHARTOUM, LATE 19TH CENTURY

Closed14 April 2010

Price Realised

GBP 2,500

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

TWO MAHDIST TUNICS
KHARTOUM, LATE 19TH CENTURY
Each with applied patches and blue yokes, the first with woolen patches and a pocket, the second with cotton appliqués, both with one sleeve missing, mounted in glazed cases
The cases - 50¼ x 36¼ in. (127.5 x 92 cm.)
Together with a group of nine spears (11)

Specialist note

These tunics were worn by the besieging Mahdi troops during the battle for Khartoum. They were led by the Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad against a defending army of 7000 loyal Sudanese troops under General Charles George Gordon. The siege lasted from March 13, 1884 to January 26, 1885. After a ten-month siege, the Mahdists finally broke into the city and the entire garrison was killed.