It is rare to find tiger skin rigs in great condition. It is even rarer to find tiger skin rugs in perfect condition, with all its claws, unfaded, and like the day it let the shop. Not just any shop, the best taxidermist of tiger of its day: Van Ingen and Van Ingen of Mysore, South India, taxidermist to the British Royals, Maharajas and all the international nobility of the time as well as film stars, viceroys and senior military men.

He was best known for tiger and leopard taxidermy, preserving their “shikar” hunting trophies in the most lifelike poses and in the utmost beauty, with attention to detail like no other in their time of operation. The snarling open mouth expression was one of his trademark qualities. The glass eyes were imported from Germany and hand painted individually by a factory workman, each pair specifically for each individual mount.

Van Ingen used to keep records of each piece he created and assign a number to it. For privacy reasons it is not possible to ascertain who was the original owner of this piece but by looking at the stencilled number (22364) on the underside of the rug we can establish that is particular example was worked around 1936. The colours on this example are so vibrant it has probably never seen the light of day since it was prepared, making it a truly remarkable item for anyone interested in taxidermy and Van Ingen’s work.

Condition: Incredible, some very slight wear and tear but negligible for a tiger skin rug of this age.

Dimensions: 280cm long (nose to tail) 225cm wide (paw to paw)