The authenticity of the work, which was in non-public assortment, was verified final yr
The authenticity of the work, which was in non-public assortment, was verified final yr
It is believed that the eloquent description of the heroine in Indulekha, the primary trendy novel in Malayalam literature by O. Chandu Menon, printed in 1889, had ignited the creativeness of legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma. Now, the product of that spark, which Ravi Varma poured onto canvas along with his masterly strokes and a fragile interaction of lights and shadows, has emerged in public area.
Though the well-known portray ‘Reclining Lady’ is believed to have been modelled on Indulekha, the brand new oil portray of Indulekha, owned by Sasikala Parakkal and her husband Madhusudhana Menon, Irinjalakuda, has the lady holding a letter addressing her lover Madhavan, the hero of the novel, as ‘Dear Madhavan ….’ dated 1892. The nineteenth century portray with an over-the-top sense of symmetry and eager consideration to micro-details, which was just lately restored by Madhan S. of the Heritage Conservation and Research Academy, will go beneath the hammer at an artwork gallery in Mumbai in September.
Painting’s path
Ms. Parakkal, sister of former Communist Party of India (CPI) MLA Meenakshi Thampan, mentioned the portray was offered to her throughout her childhood by her late father Okay.Okay. Thampan with a message to maintain it for ‘as long as she can.’ The portray was offered to her father by Bhaskara Varma, grandson of Mangala Bayi of the Thampuratti Kilimanoor royal household, sister of Raja Ravi Varma.
“It was historian M.G. Sashibhushan, an authority on the historical past of the Travancore royal household, who first identified the authenticity of the portray in 2003. S. Hemachandran, former Director of the Archaeology Department, later acknowledged its genuineness.
Carbon courting in Lithuania
“Carbon dating done in Lithuania put the age of the painting approximately to the period of Raja Ravi Varma,” mentioned Ms. Parakkal. “We are elderly people and have limitations in safeguarding it. So we decided to auction the painting, which was insured for about ₹15 crore,” mentioned Ms. Parakkal.
“Our main challenge during the time of restoration was the previous conservation of the painting done by an artist,” mentioned Mr. Madhan, who has restored 21 work of Ravi Varma to date. “The previous effort did not follow the ethics of conservation. The gold bangle in the left hand was hidden by applying colours. We had to first remove the previous restoration and then bring back the original painting through modern scientific conservation methods,” mentioned Mr. Madhan.
According to the novel, which took form in a vortex of social upheavals within the nineteenth century, Indulekha was a girl of awe-inspiring magnificence, excessive mind, creative expertise, and adept in English and Sanskrit. The novel is evident about asserting girls’s rights. It equally portrays the category and caste distinctions prevalent at the moment in Kerala.
Source: www.thehindu.com
