LONDON.- In Sotheby’s biannual Arts of the Islamic World Sale this morning, 24 rare and rediscovered preparatory paintings depicting the renowned Battle of Pollilur in India sold to an anonymous telephone bidder for the outstanding sum of £769,250 ($1,224,184), very near the top estimate for the lot (est. £650,000-800,000). Of the sale, Edward Gibbs, Senior Director and Head of the Middle East Department, said: “Tipu Sultan was an extraordinary individual and an Indian national hero. These paintings record his finest hour when he defeated the British in the field of battle in 1780. The price achieved for this group of exceptional pictorial accounts of the Battle of Pollilur is true confirmation of their historical importance and rarity.” The collection of 24 preparatory paintings depict the famous Battle of Pollilur in India at which the East India Company army surrendered to Tipu