Osian's Auction Catalogue Masterpieces and Museum-Quality III | March 2004

53 MASTERPIECES & MUSEUM-QUALITY III 19 PROSANTO ROY (1908-73 / b. Calcutta, West Bengal) Princess of the Fairyland Signed in Bengali l.r. & inscribed on verso: ‘To Tuku from Baba; Nandanbagan’ Watercolour on paper, early 1950s 28.2 x 23.0 cm (11.1 x 9.1 in) “’I never think of the composition when I sit to sketch or paint. To tell you the truth, I visualize the total and express it on paper. In my mind’s eye the painting unfolds in an uninterrupted continuous series. I select a part or portion and recreate it. If I so desire, I can continue beyond the frame of a completed painting in any direction and to the extent I wish.’” (Prosanto Roy, quoted in An Exhibition of Paintings by Prosanto Roy—A Retrospective EXC . Birla Academy of Art and Culture,1998.) “‘You find a happy corroboration once you are in the midst of a world of pictures left by Prosanto Roy. This is an invitation to look back for a while for… sheer joy…We discover a mellowed dream or drama unfolding before us, encompassing the world we tread on and the space beyond… We are at times face to face with the focal point. At other times, we are led to an axis seemingly farthest and remote. We are with the dynamics of pictorial force moving now diagonally, or elliptically here or in a swing thereabout…’” (Kanchan Chakravarti, quoted in Santo Datta, Face-Off 1900-1980s—An Exhibition of Indian Old Masters and Moderns . Delhi Art Gallery, 2000.) OSIANs S.I.R. ANALYSIS [2000-03] Present Estimate 5,445.01 Previous Highs 5,596.13 [Bon.Lon/31.10.00] 5,177.38 [Ch.Sin/01.04.01] Previous Average 2,475.39 Rs. 600,000 – 700,000 US$ 13,350 – 15,550 GB£ 7,300 – 8,550 Opinion Prosanto Roy’s art is now finding greater recognition and appreciation, especially in Japan & other South East Asian countries. The few great masterpieces, all in the small watercolour on paper medium, are now very scarce. His S.I.R., like his guru, Gaganendranath Tagore, is naturally much higher than average, mostly as a result of the typical small format in which they were created.