NEW DELHI: That diamantaire Nirav Modi likes to live the high life even as a fugitive was evident from a recent viral video that showed him walking around London in the now infamous Rs 9-lakh ostrich leather jacket. Before he fled India, the jeweller had built himself quite the reputation as an art connoisseur, often posing for the media with his collection of masters as a backdrop.
Now, the enviable art collection he built as a status symbol is going under the hammer in Mumbai on March 26. In a first, the income-tax department has engaged the services of Saffronart, a professional auction house, to sell 68 works that include works by some of India’s priciest artists such as V S Gaitonde, Akbar Padamsee and Raja Ravi Varma.
A Saffronart representative said the artworks had been put up for sale on behalf of the government of India through the tax recovery officer, income tax department, Central-3, Mumbai. A proclamation of sale issued by the I-T department showed that the auction was aiming to recover Rs 96-crore dues from Camelot Enterprises, a shell company set up by Modi. Saffronart has set the approximate estimate value for the auction at Rs 30-50 crore though it remains to be seen how much the collection will go finally go for.
A Raja Ravi Varma is among the highlights of the sale. The painting is expected to be auctioned between Rs 12 and 18 crore. Dinesh Vazirani, Saffronart CEO and co-founder, said they were appointed as official auctioneer after a selection process. “The auction includes some of the most eminent names in modern and contemporary Indian art with a historically important work by Raja Ravi Varma being one of the highlights of the live sale,” said Vazirani.
Ravi Varma is known for intricately detailed portraits of the rich and the royal. This particular work shows the Maharaja of Travancore and his younger brother welcoming Richard Temple-Grenville, third Duke of Buckingham, on his official visit to Trivandrum, and is estimated to sell in the Rs 12-18 crore range.
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Raja Ravi Varma's Maharajah of Travancore welcoming Richard Grenville in 1880. Besides works by noted contemporary artists such as Jitish Kallat, Rameshwar Broota, Atul Dodiya, Rekha Rodwittiya, and more, Modi’s collection also includes five works by Chinese artists ranging from detailed ink works to sculptural digital paintings.
When Thieves Stole Queen Anne of Brittany's Heart And Other Pieces Of History
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A 16th-century engraved golden case that held the heart of Anne, the Queen of Brittany, was stolen from the Thomas-Dobrée museum. Let’s take a look at the other limbs that have tempted thieves through the years
(Image: www.theanneboleynfiles.com)
A 16th-century engraved golden case that held the heart of Anne, the Queen of Brittany, was stolen from the Thomas-Dobrée museum. Let’s take a look at the other limbs that have tempted thieves throug..
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Skulls seem to be in high demand for grave snatchers. In 1791, a grave digger took the skull for himself and kept it in his family until the early 20th century. It was then handed over to the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation. This high note was quickly toned down though, as DNA tests showed that the skull may not belong to the Austrian composer after all. This means that the mystery of Mozart’s missing skull is still unsolved.
(Image: www.mozarteum.at)
Skulls seem to be in high demand for grave snatchers. In 1791, a grave digger took the skull for himself and kept it in his family until the early 20th century. It was then handed over to the Salzbur..
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To steal or not to steal, that was clearly not the question for the 18th century thieves who stole William Shakespeare’s skull from his grave at Holy Trinity church in Stratfordupon-Avon. In 2016, while shooting for a documentary on the playwright, researchers discovered that grave robbers most likely stole Shakespeare’s skull in 1794. But don’t worry, the joke is on the thieves as Shakespeare wrote a curse on his grave especially targeted to anyone who moved his bones.
To steal or not to steal, that was clearly not the question for the 18th century thieves who stole William Shakespeare’s skull from his grave at Holy Trinity church in Stratfordupon-Avon. In 2016, wh..
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During Napoleon Bonaparte’s autopsy in the 1820s, a doctor cut off the French Emperor’s genitals and gave it to a priest. But it wasn’t a very impressive gift, measuring just one and a half inch. The appendage later resurfaced and was bought in the ’70s by an American urologist, with whom it has remained since. The penis, which was not properly preserved, has since been compared to a piece of leather, a shrivelled eel and beef jerky.
(Image: www.napoleon.org)
During Napoleon Bonaparte’s autopsy in the 1820s, a doctor cut off the French Emperor’s genitals and gave it to a priest. But it wasn’t a very impressive gift, measuring just one and a half inch. The..
Read More
Back in 1966, 21 years after Benito Mussolini was executed, America gave part of the former Italian dictator’s brain back to his widow. They kept some to study it and perhaps as a morbid trophy. Four decades later, Mussolini’s brain landed up on the internet for 15,000 euros. His granddaughter protested and eBay promptly removed the listing.
Back in 1966, 21 years after Benito Mussolini was executed, America gave part of the former Italian dictator’s brain back to his widow. They kept some to study it and perhaps as a morbid trophy. Four..
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The English-born American political activist, philosopher and revolutionary had a pretty sad end — only six people attended his funeral in 1809. And to make matters worse, 10 years later, a fan of Paine’s named William Cobbett exhumed his body in the hope of building him a proper memorial. But Cobbett couldn’t raise the money needed, and so Paine was stuck in trunk, in his attic. Legend has it that his bones were turned into buttons.
(Image: www.ushistory.org)
The English-born American political activist, philosopher and revolutionary had a pretty sad end — only six people attended his funeral in 1809. And to make matters worse, 10 years later, a fan of Pa..
