Rare and vintage books have held a strange fascination for collectors since time immemorial. It’s not just the stories they contain, but the books’ own history and provenance that make them irresistible. As Lauren Willig, a New York Times bestselling author, once said in an interview, about her love for old books: “Old books exert a strange fascination for me... Wondering who might have owned them, how they lived, what they felt.”
Imagine owning a first edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or an unbound 200-year-old first edition of Jane Austen’s Emma! Wouldn’t that be a treasure haul for any bibliophile?
Auctioning Lost Traditions
Now Indian art enthusiasts can experience a similar rush of possessing rare books about their favourite painting style or art movement. StoryLTD, an online service for the auction house Saffronart – dedicated to fine art, antiquities, jewellery and vintage furniture – has come up with a unique auction dedicated to rare and vintage books – all first editions.
From out-of-print tomes on lost traditions of miniature painting to early portfolios of the Lalit Kala Akademi, the 49 lots on offer trace the history of Indian art and design.
The Highest Priced Books Will Cost You a Small Fortune
One of the most coveted and highest priced books in the auction is The Rulers of India and the Chiefs of Rajputana (1550-1897). With an estimate price of Rs 1,50,000-2,00,000, this book comes in a striking bold red cloth cover embossed with golden print and was published by W. Griggs in London in 1897.
It has 19 full page illustrations in colour. Imagine printing all that at a time when there was no offset printing!
– Aashish Dubey of Saffronart
Book on Amrita Sher-Gil for Sale
Then there is Parkosa: Coomaraswamy Centenary Seminar Papers, a seminal work edited by Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, KG Subramanyan and Kapila Vatsyayan. “There is also a very interesting book titled Amrita Sher-Gil edited by her friend and art critic Karl Khandalavala, dating back to 1944,” says Hugo Weihe, CEO, Saffronart.
Also on offer is FN Souza: Words and Lines written by the illustrious painter himself and it contains exquisite sketches.
Books in India are Still an Untapped Auction Possibility
Although rare books are an accepted category at international auction houses such as Sotheby’s, it is not one that has been tapped in India.
In India, no one has got into it. We hope to develop a collector base and make scholarship available to them.
– Hugo Weihe, CEO, Saffronart
He says he is already a seeing considerable interest in vintage books and antiquities.
As one collector and consignor, who wishes to remain anonymous, says: “Of the various categories of items that I collect, books would perhaps be the most complex and yet the simplest of all. Books have been my gateway to serious collecting, be it antiquities, metal, wood, ceramic, stone or antiquarian books. Though still in its infancy in India, collecting is all set to become more popular, with influence from developed nations and increase in disposable incomes – and books will light the way.”
Truer words could not have been spoken.
Through this auction, StoryLtd hopes to go one step further in helping collectors expand their collection. The team at the auction house believes that these books on art are just as important as a canvas by MF Husain or Souza. They encourage us to not just relive and relate to the past but also reinterpret it in the current context of the socioeconomic times that we live in.
(The online auction will be held between September 29, 2015, 8 pm IST and September 30, 2015, 8 pm IST)
(Avantika Bhuyan is a freelance journalist who loves to uncover the invisible India hiding in nooks and crannies across the country.)
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