Art works of the famous British artist Henry Singleton depicting the legends of Tipu Sultan will go under the hammer. The series will showcase antiquities and prints on Tipu Sultan and other important artworks from Tanjore, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The opening preview will be held on June 9, 2012 at Osian’s Mumbai office at Nariman Point with an auction at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai on June 21.
The highlight of the series will be an oil sketch by Singleton — The Assault and Taking of Seringapatam (1800), which was originally in the collection of Lord Wellesley (the Duke of Wellington). A rare Tanjore Company School painting of devotees and the temple car, which is part of the India Office Library Collection in London, will also be part of the upcoming Creative India Series-4.
A Delhi-based art critic and writer Kishore Singh said, “In this auction, Henry Singleton’s painting on the assault of Seringapatnam brings a sense of historical importance, given its provenance, while the Tanjore of the temple car addresses the great skill and imagination of the native artist. However, it is equally important to review our antiquities law and the restriction on export of these works, which limits the full realisation of their value and keeps prices depressed. Having said that, Osian’s regional series has played a major role in focusing on artists from those parts, as they have sometimes been neglected on a national platform.”
The auction will also showcase artwork of contemporary modern legends, like F.N. Souza, K.C.S. Paniker, K. Ramanujam, K.M. Adimoolam, Reddappa Naidu, J. Sultan Ali, Laxma Goud, L. Munuswamy, S. Dhanapal, C. Douglas, S. Nandagopal, among others. The contemporary artists include Surendran Nair, Riyaz Komu, Vasudha Thozhur, Shibu Natesan, Babu Xavier, Rm. Palianappan, Viraj Naik, among others.