A bid for tradition: Genuine Indian antiques are doing the rounds of some cities before they go up for auctioning in Mumbai

Rachana Ramesh

I f you have gotten the chance to take a stroll among the magnificent pillars and under the stained glasses, below the pink marble domes and on the fine grey granite in the Mysore palace, you must have wanted one of the walls in your house to be muraled just like that. If you think a huge painting won’t suit your aesthetic, you must check out the miniature paintings.

Mumbai-based Todywalla Auctions, the auctioneers of coins and paper money have now expanded their expertise to classical Indian Art. Their debut auction comprising miniature paintings, bronze and stone sculptures along with wood works are all set to be up for bid. With their experience of two decades, Todywalla is now curating a well rounded body of works showcasing South Indian antiquities.

But before being auctioned, they are first being displayed in various cities. “It is to spread awareness about Indian art, which is very much essential . People today don’t know what genuine Indian antiquities are. We are bringing a museum closer to you,” says Malcolm F Todywalla, the convener of the auction. “This is a new effort that we are trying to put in. Hopefully, it goes somewhere. It was displayed in Delhi, now in Bengaluru. The whole display will go back to Mumbai to be auctioned,” he added.

Todywalla has not seen such an effort made by other auction houses in India and hopes this effort helps create awareness among the common citizens about our rich history. The final auction will take place on the February 25 in Mumbai at the Taj Mahal Palace. Glass paintings, ritualistic objects such as the Kavadi Katta, a decorative lion used for temple processions, and a fertility beam featuring lord Ganesha are a few to name. Also in the sale are Pahari, Rajasthani, Deccani and East India Company school paintings. Indian sculptures from the Solanki period to bronzes from the Pala period to Deccani Mukhalingas, the collection tempts you to grab a piece of history. Todywalla says his personal favourite from the collection has to be the 1880’s Anglo-Indian carved sandalwood casket from Mysuru for its inexplicably intricate details. This piece is set to be auctioned starting from Rs.3,25,000.

The auction preview was accompanied by a talk. S Murugan, an art collector and scholar on South Indian art, spoke of the paintings and art culture thriving in Mysuru during the times of Mummadi. After the death of Tipu Sultan, the state was ruled by the Wodeyars of Mysuru under the ruler Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. This ushered in a new era by reviving the ancient traditions of Mysuru and extending patronage to music, sculpture, painting, dancing and literature. Most of the traditional paintings of the Mysuru school which have managed to survive till date belong to this reign.

“The difference between Mysuru and Tanjore style is where most people go wrong. Even today I find many catalogues which say Tanjore paintings are in the Mysuru style. Like how in the north of India, all south Indians are madrasis and all madrasis eat masala dosa,” said Murugan making the audience chuckle. “When you look and observe the characteristics of these institutes of paintings patiently, you can notice the whole work is very restrained and the gesso being very precise, the green background is also a very significant character of the Mysuru style,” he added. The carpets laid down, Krishna being dark-skinned and the style in which the sarees are draped on the women in paintings are all things to look out for to differentiate, he explained.

Pointing to a portrait of the goddess Lalitha Parameshwari, Murugan says: “The gesso work used almost gives a 3D effect to the saree the goddess is dressed in. Gesso work is used only to emphasise the patterns incorporated unlike the other styles.” Gesso work is the hallmark of all traditional paintings of Karnataka.

Gesso refers to the paste mixture – white lead powder, gambose and glue which is used as an embossing material and covered with gold foil. The gesso work in Mysuru paintings is low in relief and intricate as when compared to the thick gold relief work of the Tanjore school of painting. It has been used to depict intricate designs of clothes, jewellery and architectural details on pillars and arches that usually framed the deities.

Mysuru paintings are characterised by their delicate lines, graceful delineation of figures, intricate brush strokes and the discreet use of bright vegetable colours and lustrous gold leaf. For more than the mere purpose of decoration, the paintings are designed to inspire feelings of devotion and humility in the viewer. The painter’s individual skill in giving expression to various emotions is therefore of paramount importance to this style of painting.