16th century Classical Indian artwork fetches record ₹120 crore at Christie's auction in London
New world record auction of Mughal painting lits up Indian art market.
Indian art is ending the year on a record high.
A tiny Indian painting from the 16th century measuring 29.8 cm in height and 18.6 cm in width has been sold for a mind-boggling 13.6 million dollars (about 120 crore rupees), creating a new world auction record for Classical Indian art.
Titled A Family of Cheetahs In a Rocky Landscape, the painting attributed to Mughal era artist Basawan, fetched the record price at a Christie's auction held in London on October 30.
The unprecedented price for a Mughal era painting follows the record-breaking auction of M F Husain's 1954 painting Gram Yatra, which became the most expensive work of Modern Indian Art in March this year at 13.7 million dollars.
A Family of Cheetahs In a Rocky Landscape, which experts consider a masterpiece, shows a family of cheetahs relaxing on a patch of luxuriant grass in a rocky landscape.
Painted with opaque pigments heightened by gold on cloth, the work is laid down on gold-flecked blue borders with the salmon pink margins similarly flecked with gold.
Landmark moment
The painting was part of the auction of Exceptional Paintings from the Personal Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan, which in total fetched a whopping 60.9 million dollars (about 540 crore rupees).
"This is a landmark moment for the market for Indian and Islamic art, and is a testament to the discerning eye of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan," says Sara Plumbly, Christie's Head of Islamic and Indian Art.
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, the younger son of Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III -- who was born in France in 1933 -- and his wife, Catherine, collected artworks between the '60s and '80s, most of them going on to adorn the walls of their palatial home in Geneva, Switzerland.
The royal couple's collection included Indian, Persian and Ottoman works, featuring such celebrated artists as Basawan, Persian miniature painter Dust Muhammad, East India Company painter Ghulam Ali Khan, and Bishan Singh, an acclaimed artist in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
“The results of the auction illustrate the enduring appeal of works of art of this calibre with such notable provenance, many of which are regarded as 'icons' in the field of Indian and Persian painting," says Plumbly.
Significant historicity
"The record sale of the Basawan painting is important because of its historicity," says artist and Kochi Biennale Foundation president Bose Krishnamachari. "The painting is from the Mughal period which can't be forgotten," he adds,
"It is a good sale, which will affect every other sale of art in India," says Krishnamachari. "Now people will look at their collection of miniatures and wonder what they would be worth today."
The auction comes at a time when works belonging to classical Indian art, including Mughal and Rajput paintings, are witnessing a revival in the Indian art market.
Regarded by art historians as one of the most outstanding early Mughal paintings, A Family of Cheetahs In a Rocky Landscape is seen as an example of expressive naturalism. Scholars have noted the fondness of Mughal emperor Akbar, who patronised the artist Basawan, for cheetahs, which were prized by kings for their hunting skills.
Among other paintings that went under the hammer at the Christie's auction of Exceptional Paintings from the Personal Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan was Maharao Umed Singh and Zalim Singh Hunting Tigers, measuring 51.6 cm x 80 cm.
A late 18th century Kotah painting believed to be by artist Shaykh Taju -- a painter in the court of Maharao Umed Singh -- the work fetched 6.7 million dollars (about 59.4 crore rupees). Another 17th century painting, A Prince Hawking, attributed to Mughal painter Muhammad Ali, was sold for 5.2 million dollars (about 46 crore rupees).
Recent years have witnessed some extraordinary sale of Indian art. In the middle of Covid-19, Amrita Sher-Gil’s In the Ladies’ Enclosure (1938) went for 5.14 million dollars ( ₹46 crore) at the Saffronart auction in Mumbai.
It was the highest price for a Sher-Gil painting and the second-highest for an Indian artwork before her own The Story Teller broke it with a 7.1 million dollar-bid two years ago in another Saffronart auction in Mumbai in 2023.
In September 2020, 5.14 million dollars ( ₹46 crore) was bid for an untitled oil on canvas by V.S. Gaitonde. Six months later, another Gaitonde painting was sold for $5.5 million ( ₹47 crore), the highest ever for an Indian artwork in an auction at that time.
Husain's Gram Yatra was bought by Indian gallerist, art collector and philanthropist Kiran Nadar, the owner of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi, and the wife of billionaire businessman Shiv Nadar, in an intense bidding at the Christie's auction in New York in March.
