A pair of 19th C cased Indian Tiger Trophies - Rowland Ward Bamboo style

A rare and striking pair of 19th-century taxidermy tiger heads, mounted as naturalistic trophy displays in glazed bamboo-effect wooden cases. Each tiger emerges dramatically from a landscape setting composed of grasses, rocks, and foliage, with finely modelled open jaws revealing the original teeth and carefully preserved glass eyes.
Such displays were often commissioned by British officers, civil servants, or wealthy sportsmen returning from colonial India, where tiger hunting was regarded as the ultimate test of courage and prestige during the late 19th century.
The bamboo-form cases further reinforce the colonial aesthetic, recalling the Anglo-Indian taste for combining taxidermy with decorative furniture. Surviving pairs of this quality are exceptionally uncommon, particularly when retaining their original glazed cases and habitat settings.
A remarkable combination of natural history, colonial history, and Victorian decorative arts, these displays possess a strong sculptural presence and remain highly sought after by collectors of Wunderkammer objects, taxidermy, and Anglo-Indian antiques.