Lot 26 Details

Summer Online Auction 10-11 June 2015

F N Souza

Untitled

Pen and ink on tracing paper pasted on paper

11 x 7 in

Winning bid
$5,101
Rs 3,21,376
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 35 Details

The Design Sale 23-24 November 2021

Art Deco Salon Suite

Teak, rose wood with brass and...

View Dimensions "A house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless." - MAY SARTON

Art Deco drew from a variety of movements like Cubism and Russian Constructivism, from the social and technological advances of the time, and even from the classical art and culture of Japan, China, Egypt, and Central America. The style represented high technology and developments in communications and transport, realised through geometric patterns and symbols of flight, power and speed. Skyscraper and ziggurat forms, chevrons and sunbursts were also popular motifs, alluding to the dawn of a new modernism. The adoption of sleek and unusual materials like silver, lacquer, chrome, Bakelite and shagreen complemented these themes and motifs.

The style was realised in all areas of decorative design, from architecture, automobiles and furniture to fashion and jewellery. It also had a clear influence on the visual and performing arts of the times including painting, graphic design, typography, and music. Several influential artists, architects and designers of the time are associated with the Art Deco style. These include Tamara de Lempicka, René Lalique, Jean Dupas, Claud Beelman, Raymond Hood, Eileen Gray, Erté and Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann.

Art Deco made its presence felt in every continent, even though the most cited surviving examples of the style are the Rockefeller Centre, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building - all located in New York. The movement's distinctive influence on architecture and design can still be seen in cities from Miami and Mexico City to Mumbai and Manila. In New Zealand, for example, the entire town of Napier was rebuilt in the Art Deco style after it was ravaged by an earthquake in 1931. Mumbai's Art Deco architecture was recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, placing it second only to Miami in terms of the number of Art Deco buildings it prides in.

India's tryst with Art Deco was prompted by influential royal families, trade merchants and entrepreneurs. India's royal families, in particular, were captivated by the glamour and modernity that Art Deco represented and served- as some of the greatest patrons of the movement. Entire palaces were constructed in the style, most notably in Morvi, Jodhpur and Indore. This appeal was also reflected in highly customised jewellery pieces, as well as furniture and accessories purchased from European firms like Cartier, Boucheron and Louis Vuitton.

Indian craftsmen in the late 19th and early 20th century worked with traditional, locally sourced materials, often teak and rosewood, to create designs that had a strong appeal in the European and international markets. Simple and streamlined, these designs typically consisted of "elongated forms, sleek surfaces and curvaceous contours. The influence of such designs found their way into architecture, interiors and furniture-even though they had no aerodynamic purpose." (Cerwinske ed., p. 78) Some of the motifs were also inspired by local imagery. Sunburst rays, stylised ocean waves, portholes from ocean liners and decorative, geometric renditions of flora and fauna defined the Art Deco architecture and furniture that can be seen in Mumbai even today.

Winning bid
$5,106
Rs 3,72,720
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 89 Details

Winter Online Auction: Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art and Collectibles 9-10 December 2020

Akbar Padamsee

Untitled

Watercolour on paper

22 x 15 in

Winning bid
$5,106
Rs 3,72,720
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 69 Details

Auction 2004 (December) 30 Nov-2 Dec 2004

Jagdish Swaminathan

Untitled

Watercolour on paper

11 x 15.5 in

Winning bid
$5,106
Rs 2,29,781
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

USD payment only. Why?

Lot 86 Details

Auction 2004 (December) 30 Nov-2 Dec 2004

Ganesh Pyne

Woman and the Tree

Ink and pastel on paper

10 x 8 in

Winning bid
$5,106
Rs 2,29,781
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 105 Details

Auction 2004 (December) 30 Nov-2 Dec 2004

Laxman Shrestha

Untitled

Mixed media on paper

29.5 x 41 in

Winning bid
$5,106
Rs 2,29,781
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

USD payment only. Why?

Lot 47 Details

Spring Art Auction 2013 25-26 March 2013

M F Husain

Untitled

Ink on paper

9.5 x 8 in

Winning bid
$5,112
Rs 2,65,824
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

USD payment only. Why?

Lot 47 Details

The Design Sale 18-19 April 2017

GRASS-SEATED CHAIR, GEORGE NAKASHIMA    

Winning bid
$5,112
Rs 3,27,168
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)