Lot 42 | Jamini Roy | Flight into Egypt | Tempera on board, n.d.

New Delhi, Delhi, India | 22nd August 2025: India’s premier online auction house, deRivaz & Ives, is back this August with an exceptional sale celebrating Modern and Contemporary Indian Fine Arts, rare books, vintage posters, cinema memorabilia, and classic automobiles. This meticulously curated auction offers art lovers and collectors the chance to explore India’s rich cultural and artistic heritage through unique and historically significant pieces.

Auction Highlights: Modern Indian Fine Arts
The Fine Arts section (Lots 36–64) features iconic Modern Indian artists. Notable highlights include:

  • Ganesh Pyne – Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore (c.1961), mixed media, estimated at Rs. 4,000,000–6,000,000
  • M.F. Husain – Untitled (c.1976–77), oil on canvas, Rs. 3,000,000–4,500,000
  • H.A. Gade – Untitled (c.1958–59), Rs. 1,800,000–2,700,000
  • K.H. Ara – Still Life with Bottle (late 1950s), Rs. 1,600,000–2,400,000
  • Jamini Roy – Flight into Egypt, National Art Treasure (non-exportable), Rs. 800,000–1,200,000

Additional works include early etchings and woodcuts by B.B. Mukherjee, F.N. Souza’s Landscape (1962), Rabin Mondal’s oil on paper painting on Patrice Lumumba (1962), and a wooden sculpture by Piraji Sagara. Collectors will also find works by Gopal Ghose, Ambadas, Sunil Das, G.R. Santosh, C. Douglas, Rekha Rodwittiya, Shibu Natesan, and Binod Sharma. Select lots are available in London under Merchanting Trade Auction protocol.

Lot6a | Hercules Cycles with the famous German Shepard mascot | Print on cardboard, early 1950s

Vintage Advertising & Posters: India in Print
The auction also showcases India’s visual history with rare vintage advertisements and posters (Lots 1–35), including:

  • Late-19th-century Bradford Dyers’ Association trade poster, “Colour is the King of Cloth”
  • Erasmic “Himalaya Bouquet” perfume panel (1920s–30s)
  • 1932 Karachi religious calendar on Sanatan Dharma
  • 20 Lux Soap Filmfare advertisements featuring stars like Suraiya and Asha Parekh
  • Agfa promotional half-sheet posters highlighting early photography in India

Travel, tourism, and civic history are represented through Kashmir posters from the 1950s, Indian Railways designs for Puri and Ujjain, French colonial Africa posters, 16 Air-India regional “See India” posters, and political material including the “Quit Goa!” poster and Five-Year Plan charts (1961–62).

Rare Books & Cinema Memorabilia
Collectors can explore rare books and catalogues covering personalities like Robert Clive, Toru Dutt, Sarojini Naidu, Nicholas Roerich, Rabindranath Tagore, M.F. Husain, and F.N. Souza. Cinema enthusiasts will find posters, lobby cards, booklets, and stills from classics such as Mahal (1949), Sangram (1951), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Maya (1961), Neel Kamal (1968), Mera Naam Joker (1970), and Sholay (1975), including works highlighting the films of Raj Kapoor and Dharmendra.

Auction Dates, Previews & Bidding Details

  • Absentee Bidding: 19 Aug, 3:30 pm IST – 22 Aug, 9:00 am IST
  • Live Online Auction: 22 Aug, 10:00 am IST – 23 Aug, timed lots close 6:00–8:15 pm IST
  • Private Previews: 18–22 Aug, 10:00 am–8:00 pm, New Delhi & Mumbai (by appointment)
  • Buyer’s Margin: 15% on winning bids
  • All works sold “AS IS”; complimentary condition reports available
  • Reserve prices set at or below the lower estimate

Full catalogue, registration, and auction terms are available at derivaz-ives.com. All participants must complete registration prior to bidding; KYC and financial references may be required.

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