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Collectibles Antiques, powered by Saffronart, to hold India’s Most Significant Sale of Antiquities on 14 December 2015
Highlights
Live auction includes Indian miniatures paintings by Ramgopal Vijaivargiya documents on Amrita Sher-Gil and important sculptures
· Live auction includes Indian miniatures, paintings by Ramgopal Vijaivargiya, documents on Amrita Sher-Gil, and important sculptures
· All lots are from the most stellar provenances in India, including the personal collections of Col. R K Tandan, J C Tandan, Khorshed Karanjavala, and Sohrabji K Bhedwar
· Four very rare Basohli ragamala painting (Lots 13 - 16) and a monumental bronze Parvati (Lot 59) lead the sale
As part of its India Art Week, Saffronart is proud to present a live auction of Classical Indian Art, the most significant sale of miniature paintings and sculptures conducted by Collectibles Antiques (India) Private Limited, powered by Saffronart, in Mumbai on 14 December 2015. The evening sale will offer an extraordinary collection of 70 lots from important provenances, including those of Colonel R K Tandan, his brother J C Tandan, Khorshed Karanjavala, and Sohrabji K Bhedwar, who built impressive personal collections of ancient Indian art.
Hugo Weihe, CEO, Saffronart said, “The history of collecting Classical Indian Art itself is full of remarkable personalities. While connoisseurship has languished in the past decades amid a wider audience, its heritage does it enormously proud. For this sale, we are extremely fortunate to have assembled an extraordinary ‘collection of collections’. Every single piece presented in this catalogue has been chosen by a collector before, has been appreciated and loved, and carefully preserved. In addition to being a feast for the eyes, it provides a window into the passionate visions and tastes of previous connoisseurs, and a context and guide for new collectors.”
The Tandan Collection (Lots 1- 45)
Col. R K Tandan was a preeminent scholar and collector of Indian miniature paintings in India. His love for Indian art was cultivated by his father, R C Tandan (1899 -1971), a well-known literary and art critic, founder and editor of the Hindu Sahitya Sammelan.
Among the lots from Col. Tandan’s collection, the Ragaputra Bhramarananda of Malkosa Raga (Lot 13), estimated at Rs. 50,00,000 – 70,00,000 ($76,925 – 107,625), leads the sale of miniature paintings. Bhramarananda is one of the earliest known Basohli ragamalas discovered by Tandan. It is one of an incomplete set of sixty-five paintings acquired from an elderly woman, whose grandfather was a court astrologer at Basohli once upon a time. This exceptional painting celebrates the energy and rhythm of Ragaputra Bhramarananda, depicted by a youth dancing to the beats of a tambourine played by a maiden. Engrossed in the rhythm, the exuberant youth twirls while in contrast, the maiden is firmly rooted to the ground and plays her instrument calmly. Together, they represent the energy of Bhramarananda.
Another highlight from Tandan’s collection of miniatures is Baz Bahadur and Rupmati Riding At Night (Lot 1), estimated at Rs. 9,00,000 – 12,00,000 ($13,850 – 18,465). Rupmati and Baz Bahadur's tale is one of romance, heroism and tragedy. A Hindu courtesan, Rupmati was in love with Baz Bahadur, a Pathan, whose fort was stormed by the Mughals. The two figures, the animals and the lush landscape in the painting are rendered in a classic Nurpur style.
In addition to miniatures, the Tandan collection also includes two important paintings by Ramgopal Vijaivargiya. The artist had a close friendship with R C Tandan, the father of Col. Tandan. R C Tandan was an important early patron to Vijaivargiya, encouraging and promoting him as an artist.
The sale also encompasses and represents the greater story of the Tandans’ diverse interests in the arts and reflects the seamless evolutionary process that connects classical and contemporary artists. One of the lots, the Important Documents of Amrita Sher-Gil’s Interactions with R C Tandan (Lot 45), estimated at Rs. 10,00,000 - 15,00,000 ($15,385 – 23,080), highlights the close bond between the Amrita Sher-Gil and R C Tandan, who was a patron of the artist in her formative years. He was instrumental in organizing a solo exhibition of her works in 1937 in Allahabad, during a crucial time in the artist’s career. This lot has twenty-two documents that include a rare autographed portrait of Sher-Gil, several black and white photographs of her works in preparation for the 1937 catalogue in Allahabad, letters, drafts of articles on Sher-Gil and her exhibitions, essays, preparatory notes, press clippings, and an unpublished draft of a posthumous catalogue.
The J C Tandan Collection (Lots 46 – 50)
Jagdish Chandra Tandan, brother of Col. R K Tandan, inherited a number of important sculptures from his father R C Tandan which are part of the sale. One of the highlights from the collection is Vishnu and his Avatars (Lot 50), estimated at Rs. 85,00,000 – 1,15,00,000 ($130,770 – 176,925). The four-armed (Chaturbhuja) Vishnu stands majestically in the samapadasana stance, holding his four attributes. The figure is illuminated by a lotus-bloom nimbus, a symbol of creation and fertility, and accompanied by small figures of his Dashavataras, or ten avatars.
The Collection of Khorshed Karanjavala (Lots 55 – 66)
One of the lots expected to generate a lot of interest is a 32 ¾ inch tall bronze sculpture of Parvati (Lot 59), circa 15th - 16th century, which was acquired by Khorshed Karanjavala from the S K Bhedwar collection. The great collector, Sohrabji K Bhedwar, architect of the Eros Cinema in Bombay, built one of the finest collections of bronze sculptures in India. Estimated at Rs. 80,00,000 - 1,20,00,000 ($123,080 – 184,620) this monumental sculpture is one of the most important Vijayanagar bronzes to have ever come to market. In his article published in Marg magazine in 1950, Karl Khandalavala points out the elegant simplicity of her classically Vijayanagar characteristics, such as that of her jewellery, “... including the single, thin necklace... single thin armlet... and only two thin bracelets.” The large scale and superbly detailed execution puts her in a league of her own.
The sale also offers several pieces from the collection of Lt. General Dayaram Thapar. Proceeds from the sale of these lots will benefit the Indore Cancer Foundation Charitable Trust.
The Evening sale will be conducted by Hugo Weihe, CEO, Saffronart at the new flagship space in Mumbai on 14 December 2015.
Catalogue for the auction can be viewed on saffronart.com
Live Auction: Monday, 14 December 2015 | 7.30 pm
Registration begins at 6.30 pm
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