The auction house of Bowring?s, with its rather shaky start with works that were contentious, has now come up with a new approach for its November 20 auction at Oberois in New Delhi. It has spread its net wide. There are 254 lots up for sale, including MF Husain?s mural (lot 254) done for the Kanishka hotel ceiling. The work consists of eight large hexagonal paintings: Gautam Buddha, Music, Mahatma Gandhi, Bharat Mata, Science and Technology, Chola, and Kanishka. It also includes smaller triangular paintings, Holi, Shiva, Harvest, Buddam, Gitanjali, Science, Christmas and Eid and four mudras. This mural, in Husain?s own words, ?is the first major work done in recent time? of this sort. It was completed in 1982. This clearly is a major sale of Husain?s work. The area covered is no less than 1,999,968 sq cm, works out to no less than Rs 20.9 crore. As such, it will represent perhaps the highest price ever achieved for a work of contemporary Indian art to date if the bidding follows the New York pattern. Whatever the bidding, the Husain ceiling mural will definitely be the piece de resistance of the sale. And whoever buys the work will definitely go down in the history of our contemporary art as a pioneer.

Husain?s ceiling mural: Will it fetch Rs 20 crore?

For the less adventurous, there are also not very inspiring designs and minor works by Husain in the range of Rs 25,000 to Rs 60,000. These are primarily for autograph hunters (with the exception of Bird on a Blossoming Tree of 1941, expected to fetch between Rs 50,000-60,000. Then there is a watercolour of the Raj series at Rs 1.6-2 lakh and an ink drawing of horses that is expected to fetch Rs 1.6-2.4 lakh. None of these, except perhaps the Raj rider (lot 197) are really inspiring. But they appear to have been included as consolation prizes for those who lose the battle royal for the ceiling mural.

For Ravi Varma enthusiasts (and I am not one of them) there are no less than six works attributed to Ravi Varma and 15 studio works of his. Of the works attributed to the artist, there is an equestrian portrait of Goverdhan Lal signed by the artist (expected to fetch between Rs 12-15 lakh)) and Shakuntala Patralekhan, also signed, expected to fetch Rs 22-30 lakh. Other works do not appear to be signed. They are Shakuntala (expected to fetch Rs 20-25 lakh, I wonder why), and icons Saraswati (Rs 15-18 lakh), Lakshmi (Rs 12-16 lakh), and Yashodha and Krishna (Rs 30-40 lakh). With regard to works of Ravi Varma or those of his studio, it is always advisable for prospective buyers to assure themselves of the authenticity of the works.

Their provenance and history should be crystal clear. The same procedure holds good for the works of Jamini Roy. It is better for prospective bidders to be certain of the status of the works they are buying. Nowadays, the same holds true of the works of Souza, for I can never forget how two exhibitions at two different galleries in Delhi had the same Souza painting. Both had been brought to the capital by Mumbai dealers and both were being sold at the same time at different prices. So all those seriously interested in bidding for the works of Souza must satisfy themselves beyond a doubt.

The same holds good for Bengal School masters and other noted artists. One need not despair though. For if one leaves the big names for those who have undisputable knowledge of their works, there are interesting things for the lay collector to pick up. There is lot 19, Gaganendranath Tagore?s volume of 1917, Adbhut Lok, being offered for as little as Rs 20,000-25,000. It is worth much more. There is an excellent Raza (oil on board) of 1971 at between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh (lot 166), Isha Mohammad at between Rs 70,000 and Rs 90,000 (lot 167), a Vivan Sundaram oil on canvas of 1981, Passage, at between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 10 lakh and Fire Next Time (1975) at between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh (lots 223 and 224 respectively). There are two wash on bodycolour works of Maniklal Chatterjee (Rs 75,000- Rs 1 lakh) an excellent bronze sculpture of a horse?s head by Somenath Hore at between Rs 2.5 lakh-3 lakh (lot 199) and two terra cotta heads by Himmat Shah at Rs 80,000-1.20 lakh each (lots 192,193 respectively).

For those on the look out for younger artists, there are the works of Chittrovanu Mazumdar (lot 247) at between Rs 85,000 and Rs 95,000, Iranna Rukumpur at between Rs 30,000-Rs 1.20 lakh and Jitish Kallat at Rs 80,000-Rs 1.20 lakh, to name only a few.

It is advisable for the new bidder to concentrate on good works of lesser-known artists rather than to tempt fate by buying works of the big names when one is unsure of their authenticity or quality. Anyway, there is a lot for everyone at the forthcoming Bowring?s auction. And it would be interesting to see how the many trends represented in it fare when they come under the hammer.