London:
A special online-only sale of Indian paintings dated between the 1600s and the early 19th century has been launched by international auction house Christie's in London.
'India on Paper - A Private Collection of Paintings' comprises 50 lots gathered by a European connoisseur over the span of three decades, ranging in geography from the Himalayan foothills to Karnataka.
The sale opened yesterday features paintings from the Mughal and Provincial Mughal Schools as well as Pahari works from Bilaspur and Kangra, and examples from other schools of painting such as Mysore in South India or Aurangabad in the Deccan.
The estimated price of the works range from 700 pounds to 20,000 pounds. "Highlights include a very large Pahari illustration from a dispersed Harivamsa series, painted in Kangra by an artist of the generation after Purkhu, circa 1830-1840, estimate to fetch between 20,000 and 30,000 pounds," Christie's said in a statement.
"The Harivamsa, an account of the dynasty of Hari or Vishnu, is a work of three chapters appended to the great epic, the Mahabharata," it added.
Indian modern masters and artists at the forefront of the contemporary scene will be represented in the sale of Modern and Contemporary South Asian art at Christie's in London on June 11.
Leading the sale is 'Man & Woman Grinding Their Teeth' by Francis Newton Souza, a monumental painting from 1957 which is estimated at 1,000,000-1,500,000 pounds. It will mark the second of this year's four sales for this international department, which will conclude with the auction house's second sale in India, to be held in Mumbai this December.