Somnath Hore, Amarnath Sehgal, Jamini Roy sell big at Prinseps sale

New Delhi, Nov 20 () Bengali artist Somnath Hore's untitled bronze sculpture of a flower fetched Rs 36 lakhs, doubling its upper estimate at Mumbai-based auction house Prinseps' recent sale in Mumbai.

As a member of the Communist Party, the ideologies of the Bengali sculptor often influenced his artwork as seen in this work, which has been described by his family as representing a symbol of female resistance.

The sale, first of Prinseps' live sales, was conducted by internationally acclaimed auctioneer Hugh Edmeades, and saw 20 out of 25 lots sold for a total of over Rs 4.44 crore.

Highlights of the sale also included Francis Newton Souza's 1961 untitled painting of the Pope that sold for Rs 1.10 crore.

In the painting, Souza showcases the pope wearing golden robes, along with other aspects of Papal regalia, except he purposefully leaves the tiara or the mitre out of the frame. Only the filigree is visible.

"The work represents Souza's complicated relationship with Catholicism. Brought up as a Goan Christian by his grandmother, Souza was enthralled by the various traditions of the Church and its representatives. This was to change later on, with many of Souza's works addressing his loss of faith in religion," the auction house said in a statement.

The sale also featured modernist Amarnath Sehgal's bronze sculpture "Ganesha" which sold above its higher estimate for Rs 9 lakh.

Two paintings by painter Jamini Roy sold for Rs 24 lakh and Rs 2.04 lakh respectively, at almost double their higher estimates.

The sale also included a collection of rare books from the Jorasanko Palace, the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore, which sold at Rs 9 lakh, above its higher estimate of Rs 6 lakh. TRS TRS TRS