Dr Robert Elgood FSA

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Welcome to the Robert Elgood website.

Recent work

  • Short catalogue of the arms at Belmont House, Kent, home of Lord Harris who defeated Tipu Sultan in 1799 at Seringapatam. His relations and successors fought in many battles in the following century and a half including New Orleans in The American War of Independence, Waterloo, Ulundi in the Zulu War, the First World War etc., together with a collection of ethnographic arms from Africa and Polynesia.
  • Work on the Shaikh Nasser al Sabah Collection, including two chapters for publication:
    1. Medieval Afghan daggers.
    2. A re-appraisal of the Mughal daggers in the collection.

Current work

  • Recently completed an essay on arms for the exhibition catalogue: "Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India," organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in collaboration with Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur, India.
  • The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, from 4th March - 12th August, 2018, before travelling to the Seattle Art Museum (18th October, 2018 - January 2019) and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada (9th March - 2nd September, 2019).
  • Consultancy work.
  • Completing three essays for publication; Some Medieval Arab, Indian and Turkish swords.
  • Currently completing a Glossary of Islamic and Indian arms and armour.
  • Currently writing a book on the Maharaja of Jodhpur's guns. These include very fine Rajput matchlocks, Sindhi jezails, European and American 19th and 20th sporting guns and pistols and weapons made in the fort under the supervision of Maharaja Hanwant Singhji just prior to independence.
  • The author is scheduled to speak at the Jaipur Literary Festival in January 2018 and to give the Toby Falk Memorial Lecture at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London University on the 2nd May for the Islamic Art Circle:
    Rajput Warriors and Indian Merchants; the Creation of Legend and the Sale of Culture.

If you wish to contact Dr Robert Elgood or are interested in employing him as a consultant please write to him here.