Tsuktiben Jamir
Saffronart is a beloved hub for art lovers in India. Based in New Delhi, Saffronart is known as a leading art gallery as well as auction house, that organises both live as well as online auctions. To reach a wider audience of purchasers of fine art and antiques, Saffronart introduced StoryLTD, an online auction and e-commerce platform, in 2013.
StoryLTD will be hosting a sweet and short auction featuring only five lots and with a window of five hours. The online auction titled ‘Friday Five,’ will be hosted on the 19th of May 2023, from 3PM- 5PM. The auction will include a painting by Thota Vaikuntam, a sculpture by Sujata Bajaj, a set of early 20th-century postcards depicting scenes from India, a ‘pichwai’ and a necklace and earring set.
Thota Vaikuntam’s acrylic on canvas painting ‘Untitled,’ 2015, has been signed and dated by the artist in Telugu. The painting is truly an eye candy, draped in bright colours, that depict a man playing the flute. South Indian native Thota Vaikuntam draws inspiration from the state’s rural surroundings. He is from Andhra Pradesh. The main subjects in his artworks are usually men and women from his community. He frequently uses Telangana ladies as the central focus of his artwork. The fixation is linked to his early years, when he was entranced by the male actors who would portray female characters in roaming theatre troupes that would perform in his village.
Courtesy: StoryLTD.
The starting bid for Sujata Bajaj’s sculpture, acrylic and gold leaf on wood, ‘Untitled,’ 1958, is Rs. 20,000 and is estimated at Rs. 4,00,000- Rs. 6,00,000. Sujata Bajaj has worked with a variety of materials, mediums, and techniques throughout her career, from her days at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, where she used the monotype, to her studio in Norway, and her home in Pune. “There is influence of both French and Indian art in my work. I use a lot of vibrant colours, but balance the colours with the texture,” she told Saffronart.
Also in the auction, the ‘Pichwai’, Untitled, is made of natural pigments and gold foil on cloth with a dimension of ‘76.75 x 51.5’ inches. The ‘Set of Two’ comprises of a green quartz silver necklace and earrings. They have oval, checkerboard-cut green quartz gemstones set in silver bezels. A delicate and aesthetically pleasant suite is created by the combination of this pale green tint and silver.
Courtesy: StoryLTD.
Finally, the auction features a set of 100 assorted postcards that cover themes on Indian people, trades, costumes, customs and social life many, coloured and some black and white from the 1900- 1940s. Some of the postcards include ‘Laxmi’, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, ‘Street Scene’, Jeypore (India), ‘James Bazaar Stret’, Secunderabad, and ‘India: Imperial Assemblage at Delhi’, The Festival of Empire official series, among many others.
For more details on the auction and items, visit: https://www.storyltd.com/auction/auction.aspx?eid=4660
Friday Five Auction Date and Time
19 May 2023, 3 – 8pm IST
5 lots. 5 hours. No Reserve.
