MUMBAI.- Saffronart will present two eclectic auctions towards the end of this month. The vintage interiors and decorative arts auction, Elegant Design on March 25 – 26 will be immediately followed by an art auction, Works on Paper on March 26 – 27. Lots from both auctions will be on display at Saffronart’s Mumbai and Delhi galleries up until the auctions close. Both auctions will take place online on www.saffronart.com and will be preceded by a private preview exhibition in Mumbai supported by American Express.
Elegant Design is a curated selection of 109 rare and important lots that covers the most important periods for furniture design both in India and abroad, and an extraordinary opportunity to acquire some of the finest examples of the very best furniture, objects, and period silver in India. The furniture on offer includes exquisite pieces in rare woods such as ebony, calamander, padauk wood, cherry wood, mahogany, rosewood, and teakwood.
Prominent amongst this selection is a set of twenty-two workshop drawings including extremely rare drawings by Oomersee Mawjee & Sons of Bhuj. The drawings are rendered in pencil and ink illustrating concepts for a range of silverware including tea services, rosewater sprinklers, rings, belt buckles, boxes, trophies, goblets, and sweetmeat dishes. Many of the drawings contain craftsman's notes.
Another rare find is a set of six exquisite English lacquer and gilt dining chairs from a very important private collection. Lacquered furniture first became popular in Europe in the 17th century when trade opened up with the Far East, introducing a range of Oriental goods to Europeans.
Other important lots from this auction include an exceptional period Chinese canopy bed, a highly important Art Deco ebony sideboard, a set of eight ebony Anglo-Indian dining chairs, a pair of celestial and terrestrial globes by J & W Newton, a silver-gilt coffee set by Tiffany & Co., and a magnificent silver epergne in the Goerge II/II style by Walker & Hall.
Works on Paper showcases a collection of 160 lots in various mediums such as watercolor, gouache, pencil and acrylic. The auction includes works by some of the most prominent early modernists such as Gaganendranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. Renowned modernists including H.A. Gade, M.F. Husain, V.S. Gaitonde, Jehangir Sabawala, Sadanand Bakre, F.N. Souza, Ram Kumar among others are also featured in the auction. In the contemporaries there are works by Baiju Parthan, Jitish Kallat, Anita Dube, Sudhir Patwardhan, and Surendran Nair to name a few.
