For the first time this December, Christie’s will be expanding their Indian art sale by including classical art for their upcoming show. An entire section will be dedicated to Classical Indian Art and this commemorates with the 20th anniversary of Christie’s presence in India. The inclusion of classical art was enhanced by the increasing interest and sale of Indian antiquities in a recent auction in the Big Apple.
By including classical art to Christie’s third India sale, the company is giving a great boost to the already expanding domestic market by lending its international name. With the necessary paper work now in place, though these objects cannot be exported, but can still be exchanged in India. They will be identified, properly cataloged and they will be available for all to see when put up for exhibition.
One of the significant pieces up for sale is a buff sandstone figure of a dancing Ganesha, the loved elephant headed deity. This statue is carved with a voluptuous form but at the same time with a sense of grace and agility as well. This piece is valued at approximately INR 60,00,000-70,00,000.
Another sculpture to look out for is a spectacular life size granite dvarpala figure from the Chola dynasty. This one is estimated at INR 1,20,00,000.
There are some beautiful miniature paintings from the ancestral collection of the Maharaja of Bikaner. Well preserved due to the dry desert air, these paintings give you an insight into life in those days. There are depictions of Krishna and palace life and paintings that illustrate the influence of Golconda in the Deccan. Two of the paintings are depictions of Europeans that relate closely to those painted on the ceilings of the Phool Mahal in the Fort of Bikaner. These are estimated to be within the range of INR 2,00,000-12,00,000.
Christie’s South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art team have been able to procure some rare and unique works of art, creating new world auction records for the works of Hussain and Gaganendranath Tagore, as well as the second highest price at auction for Amrita Sher-Gill. They also crated a new world record with the sale of Souza’s work “Birth” that sold for US $ 4,085,000 in New York.
The India Sale will have approximately 80 lots from important private and corporate collections. Masterpieces by Vasudeo.S. Gaitonde, Tyeb Mehta, Ram Kumar, Manjit Bawa, Nandalal Bose to name a few will be on the list.
For all those art lovers, this a chance for you to have one of these masterpieces grace your walls.
