Christie's set to offer Indian artworks in September

KOLKATA: Christie���s is offering Indian and Southeast Asian bronzes, stone sculptures and miniatures at its auction of artworks in New York in September.

The sale will also see Tibetan and Nepalese works of art. The auction house has reached into the famed Manheim and Zimmerman collections to source these works. The Indian and Southeast Asian art will find a selection from the collection of Mr and Mrs Paul E Manheim. There would also be pieces from other private collections.

Paul E Manheim, a former partner at Lehman Brothers and trustee of the Brooklyn Museum, was one of those rare early collectors who developed a great appreciation of Asian art. The Manheim collection includes a highly important bronze figure of Shiva Nataraja, estimated at $1-1 .5 million from Tamil Nadu in South India and dated circa 975 during the Chola period.

Another highlight from the Manheim collection is a large gray schist figure of a standing Buddha, Gandhara 2nd/3rd century which shows an estimate of $4,00,000-6 ,00,000. Other notable pieces from the collection are a finely carved black granite figure of Nandi, South India from the 13th century Chola Period, which is going for $2,00,000-3,00,000. There���s also large gray schist figure of Maitreya from 2nd/3rd century Gandhara which is valued at $150,000-200,000.

The sale also features an exceptional collection of early Indian paintings. Christie���s is also offering a work by master painter Nainsukh of Guler, Raja Balwant Dev Singh on a Lion Shikaar (circa 1750), estimated at $80,000-1 ,20,000.