Osian's Auction Catalogue ABC Series III | March 2007

ABC Series III 161 194 Indian Political Leaders (Postcards) A set of 3 0 post cards , c .1935 featuring titled images of early Indian political leaders and freedom ghters including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu, Hansa Mehta and Abul Kalam Azad printed by various presses. 5.5 x 3.5 in (14.0 x 8.9 cm) INR 10,000 – 12,500 USD 250 –300 (Set of 30) The illustration above depicts Gandhi being blessed by a Deshsevika on his return from the Second Round Table Conference of the British Parliament in 1932. According to Christopher Pinney, such images which ‘posit a divine Hindu identity’, are rare because ‘the pictorial process of deication’ only begins after Gandhi’s assassination. ‘The majority of colour prints produced by larger presses generally depict Gandhi in a rational and empty space.’ Christopher Pinney, Photos of the Gods – The Printed Image & Political Struggle in India, Oxford University Press, 2004 . 195 Calender Art A set of 2 paper cut-outs pasted on hand-painted backdrop; cardboard base, c .1970 Each 22 .3 x 20.5 in (56.6 x 52.1 cm) INR 10,000 – 12,500 USD 250 –300 (Set of 2)