Lord Egerton of Tatton wrote the definitive reference work on Indian Arms and armour in 1896. He bequeathed his enormous collection of artefacts to his daughter who later passed it on to Manchester Art gallery. Many items are in storage, including a number of Sikh weapons, chakkars, and matchlocks. There are two Sikh objects are on display in the Craft and Design gallery of the museum.

The first of these artefacts is a set of gauntlets. Egerton recorded that he obtained the gauntlets from Kurruck Singh. It is possible that this was Khurruck Singh, a disciple of Bhai Maharaj Singh. The gauntlets are beautifully crafted and the intricate design on the outside displays the koftgari technique. This technique was used to apply gold wire decoration to steel. It was a process for which Sikh armourers were well known. It is thought that the gauntlets were made in the mid-1800s, as gauntlets made prior to this time usually had koftgari on the inside.

Also on display from Egerton's collection is a helmet. At the top of the helmet are black heron feathers, or kalgi. The chain mail is made up as a fine diamond pattern. This pattern is called gangi-jumni because it is thought that the design resembles the patterns made in the water where the rivers Ganges and Jumna meet. This helmet would have been used for ceremonial purposes rather than defence. The helmet also exhibits gold koftgari decoration and the repeated pipel flower motif is a distinctively Sikh design.

Image:©Manchester City Galleries