SUMMER ONLINE AUCTION (13-14 JULY 2021)

51

48

M F HUSAIN (1913‒2011)

Mahishasura Mohini
Signed ‘Husain’ (lower right) and inscribed
‘”Mhainsasur Mohini [sic]”’ (upper left); signed
‘Husain’ (on the reverse)
Ink and chemical print on sunboard
49.75 x 36 in (126.5 x 91.3 cm)
$ 21,130 ‒ 28,170
Rs 15,00,000 ‒ 20,00,000
A preparatory drawing for this work was published in Icons
of the Millennium, Bombay: Gallery Lakeeren, 1999, p. 37
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, Mumbai

M F Husain
© Jyoti Bhatt

53

49

F N SOUZA (1924‒2002)

Untitled (Nude)
Signed and dated ‘Souza/ 1950’ (upper right)
1950
Gouache on paper pasted on paper
21.75 x 14.75 in (55.5 x 37.6 cm)
$ 35,215 ‒ 49,300
Rs 25,00,000 ‒ 35,00,000
PROVENANCE
Collection of Julian Hartnoll, London
Pundole’s, Mumbai, 11 April 2019, lot 59

During his early years in Bombay in the 1940s, immediately after his expulsion from the J J School of Art, F N
Souza had taken to studying in libraries, where he came across illustrations of classical Indian art and of modern
European painting. “These were a revelation… Souza made a passionate study of Indian art, and was particularly
moved by the South Indian bronzes — with their symbolism and their astonishing feeling for movement — and
by the sublimely erotic carvings on the temples of Khajuraho. Both of these made a lasting impression on him,
and were largely responsible for awakening the imagination of the young painter.” (Edwin Mullins, Souza, Anthony
Blond Ltd, London, 1962, p. 16) This influence can be seen in works such as the present lot, where Souza paints
the goddess‒like figure in the high‒breasted, statuesque style of ancient Indian sculpture.

54

55



Souza’s fascination with the female subject continued throughout his artistic career, as seen in this work
painted in 1984. Symbolic of femininity and fecundity, the figure in the present lot also draws from
Souza’s engagement with traditional African art, Byzantine icons, and the work of Picasso and the Spanish
Romanesque painters, which he encountered after moving to London in 1950. Titled Odalisque, the present
lot is perhaps a reference to the 1814 painting Grande Odalisque by the French Neoclassical painter Jean‒
Auguste‒Dominique Ingres, or a similar series by Henri Matisse depicting the ‘odalisque’ or the concubine, a
popular subject in European art during the colonial era.

F N Souza, 1982
StoryLTD.com, 18‒19 July 2017, lot 32 k)

50 Untitled
(after Titian's Venus of Urbino and Manet's Olympia), 1961
F N SOUZA (1924‒2002) Saffronart, 8‒9 June 2016, lot 61
Sold for Rs 1.22 crores ($186,000)
Odalisque

Signed and dated ‘Souza 84’ (upper left);
inscribed and dated ‘F N SOUZA/ ODALISQUE/
1984’ (on the reverse)
1984
Acrylic and oil on board
48 x 23.75 in (122 x 60.3 cm)

$ 49,300 ‒ 63,385
Rs 35,00,000 ‒ 45,00,000

PROVENANCE
Formerly from the Keren Souza Kohn Collection
Saffronart, Mumbai, 11 September 2013, lot 50

The present lot may be a continuation of Souza’s previous attempts during the 1960s
at reinterpreting — and in the process, subverting — famous Europeans paintings and
themes. Of similar works such as the present lot, Mullins says, “There are the huge, fleshy
nudes who sprawl over his canvases. These are not really erotic paintings in the true sense,
but variations of a conventional theme explored by European artists... His nudes are only
occasionally painted as beautiful or even as graceful...On the whole his paintings of nudes
are more gentle than most of his other work; they have less impassioned ferocity about
them. At the same time they are often the most perverse and obsessed... They suggest a
personal fascination with the female body...” (Mullins, pp. 42‒43)

Works such as the present lot form a connection between the European art tradition
and Souza’s personal life, demonstrating how aptly he is able to manifest his own distinct
personality on a subject that has been variously interpreted by Western artists over time.

The present lot attempts to attempts to reinterpret and subvert famous European paintings and themes, such as the
‘odalisque’ or the concubine, a popular subject in European art during the colonial era.

Henri Matisse, Odalisque with Jean‒Auguste‒Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814

Tambourine (Harmony in Blue), 1926

58

59



51

K G SUBRAMANYAN (1924‒2016)

Bahaneh ki Khiladi 3

Initialled in Tamil (lower left and lower right); inscribed, signed and
dated ‘Bahaneh ki Khiladi 3/ KgSubramanyan/ 90’ (on the reverse)
1990
Gouache on paper
27.5 x 21.5 in (70 x 54.6 cm)

$ 7,045 ‒ 9,860
Rs 5,00,000 ‒ 7,00,000

PROVENANCE
Art Heritage Gallery, New Delhi
Private Collection, Denmark
Saffronart, 19‒20 June 2013, lot 13

61

52

SATISH GUJRAL (1925‒2020)

Untitled

Signed in Devnagari (lower right)
Burnt wood, leather, cowrie shell and ceramic beads
Height: 30.75 in (78 cm)
Width: 28.25 in (72 cm)
Depth: 6 in (15.5 cm)

$ 21,130 ‒ 28,170
Rs 15,00,000 ‒ 20,00,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, New Delhi

63

53

B VITHAL (1935‒1992)

Untitled

Signed ‘B Vithal’ (on the reverse)
Bronze
Height: 12.25 in (31 cm)
Width: 7.75 in (19.6 cm)
Depth: 7.25 in (18.3 cm)

$ 8,455 ‒ 11,270
Rs 6,00,000 ‒ 8,00,000
From a limited edition

PROVENANCE
Acquired from the artist by a Portuguese
diplomat during his posting in India
Thence by descent

64

54

KRISHEN KHANNA (b.1925)

Untitled

Inscribed and signed ‘5/9 KKhanna’ (on the base)
Bronze
Height: 21.5 in (54.7 cm)
Width: 10.25 in (25.8 cm)
Depth: 10.25 in (26.2 cm)

$ 9,860 ‒ 12,680
Rs 7,00,000 ‒ 9,00,000

Fifth from a limited edition of nine

This sculpture comprises of a wooden base measuring
2.25 x 13.5 x 9 in (5.5 x 34.5 x 23.1 cm)

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist

65

“Human being is an enigma, and what he creates should also
be an enigma.”  HIMMAT SHAH

Himmat Shah
© Jyoti Bhatt

Himmat Shah was born in 1933 in Lothal, Gujarat — an excavation site of the Indus Valley civilisation,
with one of the highest yields of sculptural artefacts. The artist explored the caves and desert landscapes
of the region throughout his childhood, and these early experiences had a deep impact on his work. Shah
immersed himself in many mediums before focussing on sculptures, and is best known for his enigmatic
sculptures of heads. As seen in the present lot, these are often pared down, occasionally juxtaposed with
planes of contrasting material. Through these faceless forms, Shah explores concepts such as existence,
anonymity and memory.

55

HIMMAT SHAH (b.1933)

Untitled
Signed and inscribed ‘HIMMAT/ 1/5’ and stamped
‘BRONZE AGE/ LONDON’ (lower right)
Bronze
Height: 52 in (132 cm)
Width: 8 in (20.5 cm)
Depth: 15.25 in (39 cm)
$ 35,215 ‒ 49,300
Rs 25,00,000 ‒ 35,00,000
First from a limited edition of five
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
An Important Private Collection, New Delhi

67

56

SARBARI ROY CHOWDHURY (1933‒2012)

Standing Woman

Signed in Bengali and inscribed ‘3’ (on the base)
1968
Bronze
Height: 9.25 in (23.8 cm)
Width: 4.5 in (11.2 cm)
Depth: 4 in (10 cm)

$ 3,525 ‒ 4,930
Rs 2,50,000 ‒ 3,50,000

Third from a limited edition of nine

This sculpture comprises of a wooden base measuring
4 x 8.25 x 6.25 in (10 x 21 x 16 cm)

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist

PUBLISHED
Contours & Volumes, Mumbai: Akar Prakar in
collaboration with National Gallery of Modern Art, 2013,
p. 16 (illustrated)

68

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF
BHANUMATI AND THE LATE AKBAR PADAMSEE
57

VALSAN KOORMA KOLLERI (b.1953)

Untitled
Signed in Malayalam, further signed and
dated ‘Kolleri/ 99’ (on the base)
1999
Bronze
Height: 8.75 in (22.3 cm)
Width: 21 in (53.5 cm)
Depth: 7.75 in (20 cm)
$ 5,635 ‒ 7,045
Rs 4,00,000 ‒ 5,00,000

Valsan Koorma Kolleri’s early works focussed on the geometrical abstraction that emerged from his study of the
human body in its structural configuration and in movement. Here, he would cast plaster and concrete in single
and multiple modules, assembling them into totemic formats later, thus creating a startling dialogue between the
primitive and the urban. He transitioned to working with bronze in the late 1980s‒90s, as seen in the present lot,
where he braises different parts together in the form of a sculptural collage.
The range of materials he uses today has widened to include wood, leather, bones, hair, nests and hives, things
that have been outgrown or discarded, having aged or lost their value in the quest for novelty. He turns loss into
advantage by creating a theatre where these things are reinstated, thereby showing how they can encompass a
space that far exceeds their immediate limits just by putting the spotlight on their relationship to their surroundings.

69

70

Lots 58–71

Closing Time: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
8.30 pm (IST)

11 am (US Eastern Time)

71

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT
PRIVATE COLLECTION, LONDON

58

SOHAN QADRI (1932‒2011)

Untitled

Signed and dated ‘Qadri 02’ (lower right)
2002
Watercolour on paper
39.25 x 13.75 in (99.5 x 35 cm)

$ 2,000 ‒ 3,000
Rs 1,42,000 ‒ 2,13,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired from Apparao Galleries, Chennai

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION, LONDON

59

SOHAN QADRI (1932‒2011)

Untitled

Signed and dated ‘Qadri 05’ (lower right)
2005
Watercolour on paper
39.25 x 27.5 in (100 x 69.7 cm)

$ 6,000 ‒ 8,000
Rs 4,26,000 ‒ 5,68,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired from Apparao Galleries, Chennai

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74

“I have no apology for my repetition of the form of the bindu.
With repetition you gain energy and intensity ‒ as is gained
through the japmala, or the repetition of a word or a syllable
until you achieve a state of elevated consciousness.”  S H RAZA

75

60

S H RAZA (1922‒2016)

Naissance de la Mer
Signed and dated ‘RAZA/ 98’ (lower right); signed
indistinctly and signed, dated and inscribed ‘RAZA/
1998/ “Naissance de la mer”’ (on the reverse)
1998
Acrylic on canvas
39.25 x 39.25 in (100 x 100 cm)
$ 211,270 ‒ 253,525
Rs 1,50,00,000 ‒ 1,80,00,000
This work will be included in the forthcoming
S H RAZA, Catalogue Raisonnè, (1990 - 2016) by
Anne Macklin on behalf of The Raza Foundation, New Delhi.
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
Collection of a Prominent Architect, Mumbai
Acquired from the above

The recurring presence of the bindu in the later works of S H Raza has ensured that the two are intrinsically
linked together all the time. In the present lot, titled Naissance de la Mer and painted in 1998, Raza uses
two primary colours — blue and black — to continue his exploration of the metaphysical aspects of nature
through the principles of geometry, as seen in his use of the black bindu and an inverted triangle. For Raza,
the bindu is a representation of the primordial symbol of energy, “a point, which could be enlarged to a circle
– one of the most significant geometrical forms.” (Geeti Sen, Bindu: Space and Time in Raza’s Vision, New
Delhi: Media Transasia India Ltd., p. 126)
Raza uses geometric shapes to denote the cosmos and its constituent components, with the circle forming
the central element in this expression since it is the essence of life. Raza derives the meaning of the geometric
shapes in his paintings from Hindu scriptures such as the Upanishads, where each form is representative of a
specific element, like water, earth, fire, sky, and air, thus forming the basis of all life and creation. Naissance de
la Mer can be loosely translated as “the birth of the sea,” and is represented through the use of clear shapes,
lines and primary colours in the present lot.

76

77

61 Krishen Khanna’s enduring interest in religious
symbolism, particularly Christian imagery, has its roots
KRISHEN KHANNA (b.1925) in his childhood, which began with a reproduction
of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper that his father brought
Study for Last Supper home. His attempt to replicate it — at the mere age
of seven — was both, a first attempt at making art
Signed ‘KKhanna’ (lower left); inscribed and and the origin of his preoccupation with the theme.
signed ‘STUDY FOR LAST SUPPER/ KRISHEN His education at the Imperial Services College in
KHANNA/ KKhanna’ (on the reverse) Windsor, which was largely Christian in its values, and
Oil on canvas repeated visits to the National Gallery in London,
19.5 x 15.75 in ( 49.8 x 39.8 cm ) where he encountered Piero della Francesca’s Baptism
of Christ, led to further fascination with the subject.
$ 12,680 ‒ 16,905 This understanding would only be deepened during
Rs 9,00,000 ‒ 12,00,000 a six-month trip he took to London, Paris and Italy
in 1954, which expanded his knowledge of Western,
PROVENANCE particularly religious, art.
Acquired directly from the artist
Saffronart, New Delhi, 4 September 2014, lot 88 a) After this initial fascination, Khanna returned to Christ-
Private Collection, Singapore themed paintings in 1966, beginning with Pieta. They
Private Collection, Chennai were often allegorical, in Khanna’s vocabulary, for the
political turmoil that emerged during the Emergency
EXHIBITED in India in the 1970s. Often these works focused on
Krishen Khanna, London: The Royal Academy the less dramatic scenes from Christ’s days on earth,
of Arts, 20 ‒ 24 March 2007 such as the present lot, a study for The Last Supper.
According to Norbert Lynton, Khanna’s paintings
depicting Christian imagery were narrative scenes
that, “Once seen, they are not easily forgotten: they
burn their way into our store of significant images.
The lack of ameliorating colours and expressive
brushwork, the lack of all sweetening or distraction
from the key performance, gives this art an incisive
and enduring character... Shunning all supporting
action and staging, Khanna turns these narrative
events into timeless, location-less emblems that
reflect on our own time and condemn all humanity.”
(Krishen Khanna, Norbert Lynton, Gayatri Sinha et
al, Krishen Khanna: Images in My Time, Ahmedabad:
Mapin Publishing and Hampshire: Lund Humphries,
2007, pp. 22-23)

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79

80

62

B PRABHA (1933‒2001)

Untitled

Signed and dated ‘b. prabha/ 1962’ (upper right)
1962
Oil on canvas
20 x 40 in (50.8 x 101.6 cm)

$ 15,000 ‒ 18,000
Rs 10,65,000 ‒ 12,78,000

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, USA

81

63

LAXMAN SHRESTHA (b.1939)

Untitled
Inscribed ‘LAXMAN/ SHRESTHA’ (on the reverse)
Oil on canvas
55 x 74.5 in (140 x 189.5 cm)
$ 12,680 ‒ 16,905
Rs 9,00,000 ‒ 12,00,000
PROVENANCE
Bombay Art Gallery, Mumbai

82

83

84

64

K M ADIMOOLAM (1938‒2008)

Untitled

Signed and dated ‘Adimoolam/ 2006’
(lower right); signed and dated twice
‘Adimoolam/ 2006’ (on the reverse)
2006
Oil on canvas
95.5 x 35.5 in (242.6 x 90.2 cm)

$ 11,270 ‒ 16,905
Rs 8,00,000 ‒ 12,00,000

PROVENANCE
Saffronart, 6‒7 December 2006, lot 79

85

65

LANCELOT RIBEIRO (1933‒2010)

Untitled (Townscape with Lilac Sky)

Signed and dated ‘Ribeiro 65’ (lower right)
1965
Oil on board
7.25 x 10 in (18.7 x 25.5 cm)
$ 1,500 ‒ 2,000
Rs 1,06,500 ‒ 1,42,000

PROVENANCE
From the estate of the artist

EXHIBITED
Lancelot Ribeiro: An Artist in India and Europe, Panaji: Sunaparanta, Goa Centre
for the Arts, 30 October ‒ 14 November 2014; New Delhi: Saffronart, 10 ‒ 14
November 2014; Mumbai: Saffronart, 18 ‒ 22 November 2014

86

PROPERTY OF A LADY, NEW DELHI
66

MANU PAREKH (b.1939)

Untitled
Signed and dated ‘Manu Parekh ‘05’ (lower left)
2005
Acrylic on canvas
23.5 x 29.5 in (60 x 75 cm)
$ 5,635 ‒ 8,455
Rs 4,00,000 ‒ 6,00,000

87

67

HAKU SHAH (1934‒2019)

Untitled
Signed ‘HAKU’ (lower right)
Oil on canvas
35.25 x 17.5 in (89.5 x 44.5 cm)
$ 3,000 ‒ 4,000
Rs 2,13,000 ‒ 2,84,000

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, USA

88

JANGARH SINGH SHYAM (Lots 68‒71)

Jangarh Singh Shyam is synonymous with the Gond art form, so much so that Udayan Vajpeyi, in his essay,
“From Music to Painting,” proposes that the art be called Jangarh kalam, or Jangarh style. (Sathyapal ed.,
Native Art of India, Thrissur: Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, 2011, p. 33) Hailing from the Gond tribe in Madhya
Pradesh, Shyam lived in the jungles of Mandla until a chance encounter with the modern Indian artist Jagdish
Swaminathan in the 1980s. Swaminathan, who was leading an Indian collective on a study tour with the aim
of creating a collection of tribal art in Bhopal, came across Shyam’s house, whose walls were adorned with
his art. Upon enquiring, they met Shyam—only a teenager at the time, but with a striking style of painting.
Swaminathan took Shyam on as his protege, bringing him to Roopankar Museum in Bhopal, where he
learned to transfer his art from walls to paper. He created a series of works on paper and canvas which are
displayed at Bharat Bhavan today. “His first large works on paper from the start of the 1980s contain highly
expressive forms of great simplicity redolent of primitivism.” (Herve Perdriolle, Indian Art: Contemporary,
One Word, Several Worlds, Milan: 5 Continents Editions, p. 61)
Shyam’s art was based on the deities and divinities of the Gond tribe, and the animist culture of worship
surrounding them. Suspended in space, he rendered them like silhouettes creating the effect of shadow
puppets, with bright colours, dots and hatched lines. The inspiration for using fine dots comes from the
Gond tribe, in which the shamans go into a trance and imagine that the particles of their bodies disperse
into space to join with those of spirits to form other beings.

Jagdish Swaminathan with Jangarh Singh Shyam and his wife at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, 1987
© Jyoti Bhatt

89

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED
PRIVATE COLLECTION, GERMANY
68

JANGARH SINGH SHYAM (1962‒2001)

Untitled
Signed ‘JaNGARH SiNGH Shyam’ (lower right)
Gouache on paper
14 x 19.25 in (35.8 x 49 cm)
$ 6,000 ‒ 8,000
Rs 4,26,000 ‒ 5,68,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired from Jagdish Swaminathan, Bhopal, 1984

In 2010, the Musee du quai Branly in Paris held an exhibition called Other Masters of India showcasing large works
on paper by Shyam from the late 1980s and early 1990s, which according to Perdriolle, “reveal a development in
the direction of a profusion of psychedelic colors and more elaborated forms. The second half of the 1990s was
marked by an unusual refinement, pictorial maturity, and graphic mastery that resulted in some of his best works.”
(Perdriolle, p. 61)

90

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED
PRIVATE COLLECTION, GERMANY
69

JANGARH SINGH SHYAM (1962‒2001)

Untitled
Signed ‘JaNGARH SiNGH Shyam’ (lower left)
Gouache on paper
14 x 19.25 in (35.8 x 49 cm)
$ 6,000 ‒ 8,000
Rs 4,26,000 ‒ 5,68,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired from Jagdish Swaminathan, Bhopal, 1984

Shyam worked with several mediums throughout his career, including drawing and silkscreen painting,
rediscovering a new style and representation every time. As he achieved fame, Shyam encouraged other artists in
his community to paint, giving them access into the mainstream. His house was the studio, where he provided his
students with paper, canvas and paint, encouraging them to find their own expression through new mediums. He
passed away in 2001 in his early forties and left behind a vibrant legacy which is carried on by the artists he trained
and encouraged during his lifetime.

91

70 PROVENANCE
The Crites Collection, New Delhi
JANGARH SINGH SHYAM (1962‒2001)
PUBLISHED
Sanp, Pakshee ‒ Snake and Bird (Gond Art) Aurogeeta Das, Jangarh Singh Shyam:
The Enchanted Forest | Paintings and
Signed in Devnagari and dated ‘1992’ (lower left) Drawings from the Crites Collection,
and inscribed in Devnagari (lower right) New Delhi: Roli Books, 2017, pp. 94,
1992 173 (illustrated)
Ink on paper pasted on mount board
14.75 x 10.75 in (37.2 x 27.3 cm)

$ 5,635 ‒ 7,045
Rs 4,00,000 ‒ 5,00,000

92

71 PROVENANCE
The Crites Collection, New Delhi
JANGARH SINGH SHYAM (1962‒2001)
PUBLISHED
Khurahi Dev ‒ The God Khurahi (Gond Art) Aurogeeta Das, Jangarh Singh Shyam: The
Enchanted Forest | Paintings and Drawings
Signed in Devnagari (lower right), inscribed in from the Crites Collection, New Delhi: Roli
Devnagari and dated ‘1990’ (lower left) Books, 2017, pp. 48, 163 (illustrated)
1990
Ink on paper pasted on mount board
13.75 x 10.75 in (35 x 27.5 cm)

$ 5,635 ‒ 7,045
Rs 4,00,000 ‒ 5,00,000

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94

Lots 72–85

Closing Time: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
8.45 pm (IST)

11.15 am (US Eastern Time)

95

Jamini Roy in his studio
Reproduced from Jamini Roy: National Art Treasure, Kolkata: Purba, 2015

96

72

JAMINI ROY (1887‒1972)

Untitled

Signed in Bengali (lower right)
Tempera on paper pasted on cardboard
21.75 x 14.25 in ( 55.5 x 36.4 cm )

$ 21,130 ‒ 28,170
Rs 15,00,000 ‒ 20,00,000

NON‒EXPORTABLE NATIONAL ART TREASURE

PROVENANCE
Apparao Galleries, Chennai
Private Collection, Chennai

97

Thota Vaikuntam
Wikimedia Commons

98

73

THOTA VAIKUNTAM (b.1942)

Untitled

Signed and dated in Telugu (lower right)
2015
Acrylic on canvas
35.75 x 24 in (91.1 x 61 cm)

$ 14,085 ‒ 21,130
Rs 10,00,000 ‒ 15,00,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
An Important Private Collection, New Delhi

99

74

PARESH MAITY (b.1965)

Untitled
Signed and dated ‘Paresh Maity ‘04’
(lower right and on the reverse)
2004
Oil on canvas
47.75 x 47.75 in (121 x 121 cm)
$ 16,905 ‒ 21,130
Rs 12,00,000 ‒ 15,00,000
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Maharashtra

100