Osian's Auction Catalogue Creative India Series 1 Bengal | December 2011

J amini r oy 11 April 1887 – 24 April 1972 Untitled Wood, c. 1968 10.7 x 3.4 x 1.7 in (27.1 x 8.6 x 4.2 cm) Provenance Acquired by Kolkata-based art gallerist from Debabrata Roy, the grandson of Jamini Roy. ` 1,000,000 – 1,500,000 US$ 20,000 – 30,000 National Art Treasure Non-Exportable Item 52 1780 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1910 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 2000 Creative India BENGaL | Jamini Roy 125 124 “His early clay toys have great plastic value: they are of a piece with his single figures placed in the centre of the ground. His wood carvings came much later. His way of revealing the image through the grain of the wood by hacking off the surplus material with the minimum of chisel strokes places him at the front rank of our sculptors also.” [Amrita, rpt. in Anand, Mulk Raj [Ed.] [1964]. The Four Initiators of the Contemporary Experimentalism: Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher Gil and Rabindranath Tagore. New Delhi: [Essay.JOU] Lalit Kala Contemporary No.2 (LKA); p.17, full article pp.15-26]. “He began to sculpt in wood as early as 1942…He used to tell his compatriots that the most important thing about wood sculpture was to maintain and bring out the textural quality inherent in the material… His wooden sculptures are not very tall in size, varying from a foot to three or four feet in height. But they are very powerful and absolutely convincing as sculptures. Jamini Roy again experimented with wood three or four years before his death. This time his sculptures were somewhat abstract, highly stylized, and smooth. Aesthetically speaking, his earlier sculptures are superior to these later ones, which nevertheless have a historical importance.” [Pranabendu Dasgupta, rpt. In Gupta, R.P. [Gen. Ed.] [1982]. The Arts of Bengal and Eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Crafts Council of Bengal at the Commonwealth Institute, London. London: Crafts Council of West Bengal; pp.88-89]. Illustrative references Sahni, Rakesh [Curator] [2006]. Sculptures: The Bengal Connection. Kolkata: [ExC.] Gallery Rasa; np. Das, Soumitra [2006]. The Creative Connection. Calcutta: [NEWS] The Telegraph; Illustration Lot 52. This is the first wooden sculpture by Jamini roy to come up for public auction.