Tagore art at Delhi auction

With reference to a story published by us in the Millennium Post (Delhi edition, 20 June), we would like to draw your attention to the  fact that auctioneers Bid and Hammer Auctioneers Pvt Ltd, Bangalore have informed us that an auction entitled ‘Significant Indian  Art’ is going to be held on 27 June at New Delhi.

It consists of lots of important paintings from renowned estates and collectors in India. The provenance and authenticity of these paintings, without a doubt, are impeccable’, says the letter.

‘The auction house is also in possession of documentation to establish the provenance and authenticity of these works. The auctioneer has spent considerable time and money in carrying out the authenticity and provenance search before the lots could be listed in their catalogue. This effort has been done in the most professional manner possible,’ says the letter.

The lots from this auction are also sourced from prominent and well respected collectors in India, says the letter.

We would however like to submit that the Millennium Post article in question merely reported what Tagore experts at Visva Bharati and Kolkata opined about the said work of  Tagore. We did not even mention the name of your auction house.

Also, the persona quoted in the story R Siva Kumar and Susobhan Adhikary are nationally known experts on Tagore , both senior staff at Vsva Bharati.They said that the original work of Tagore(1933) is housed at Rabindra Bhawan at Visva Bharati. If the original work of Tagore is at Viswa Bharati(Plate 213,Rabindra Bhavana acc no 00-2603-16-06 in Vol 3 of Rabindra Chitravali), how can the same work be going up for auction in New Delhi?

In terms of ‘personally verifying’ the work going under the hammer is concerned,  is it not the standard practice to look at the  image of the work posted on a public website? The experts and we have looked at the image and the given their opinion.

Last but not the least you have said that the article was published in the Millennium Post, Kolkata edition. We do not have an edition in Kolkata.