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The bust of the Indian Prince and Sikh hero Maharaja Duleep Singh, made by a British sculptor almost 150 years ago, has been sold at auction for £1.7m.
Duleep Singh, who was born in 1838, is a figure of veneration for Sikhs around the world and many followers visit his last home at Elveden Hall in Suffolk.
The bust was estimated to sell for £25,000 to £35,000. Before the sale at Bonhams in London, many potential buyers asked to be photographed alongside the figure.
The marble sculpture eventually sold to a UK private collector.
The sculpture was produced by John Gibson in Rome in 1859-60.
Duleep Singh became the last Maharajah of the Punjab at the age of five and the first Sikh settler in Britain at only 11.
The Maharajah died in Paris in 1893 and is buried in Elveden Church, Elveden, which is on Norfolk/Suffolk border, beside the grave of his wife Maharani Bamba, and his son Prince Edward Albert Duleep Singh.
