Topical displays

Art and the Man: The Raffles Family Collection

18 April – 3 August 2008

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826) is best known today as the founder of Singapore, but he was also a passionate scholar of all aspects of the Malay world who formed a superb collection of drawings and manuscripts during nearly twenty years in Southeast Asia in the service of the East India Company. Included in this small display will be important early paintings of Sumatran scenes and wildlife, and royal Malay letters notable for their fine Islamic illumination and calligraphy, drawn from the Raffles Family Collection which was acquired by the British Library in 2007 with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund and other donors.