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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mahatma Gandhi's only known portrait in oil paint to go under the hammer
In July, an oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi made by Clare Leighton, an artist renowned for her wood engravings, will be auctioned for the first time — believed to be the only oil portrait of the Mahatma. Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi will form part of Bonhams' Travel and Exploration Sale to be held online between July 7 and 15. The 30 1/8 x 25' canvas is priced between GBP 50,000 and 70,000 ( ₹ 58 lakh and ₹81 lakh). Leighton, who met Gandhi in London in 1931, even made a drawing of him while he was asleep. How did this painting come to be? And what did Gandhi think of it? Let's find out. Towards the end of August 1931, Mahatma Gandhi and a group of hopeful men and women seeking independence for India, buoyed by the success of the Dandi March and the salt satyagraha, boarded a ship for England to attend the Second Round Table Conference. The conference, however, was a tense one, as arch negotiator Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi found himself at odds with members of his own delegation — drawn from the princely order, the landlords, the titled gentry and the leaders of Hindu groups — as well as battling the hardened colonialists who were not interested in his demand for self-governance and an Indian Constitution. The conference lasted a few months, but amidst the tense negotiations, Gandhi decided to do the 'real round table work' and get to know the people of England. On social reformer Muriel Lester's invitation, he stayed at the community centre in Kingsley Hall in East End, took his morning walks in its streets and made friends with the children, to whom he became 'Uncle Gandhi'. He also met several people, from the cotton mill workers of Lancashire, heavily impacted by his Swadeshi movement to political activists who were sympathetic to the cause. Even Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein wrote to him during his time in London —'We may hope that your example will spread beyond the borders of your country', he said. It was during this time that Gandhi met Leighton and sculptor Jo Davidson, both of whom took the opportunity to get Gandhi to model for them. (Davidson's bronze bust of Gandhi is now in the permanent collection of the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum). She returned to oil paints rarely — Gandhi's portrait being one occasion. In November 1931, the artist exhibited this painting at the Albany Galleries in Sackville Street, London. According to press reports, Gandhi did not attend the exhibition, but the event drew the attention of many powerful people including 'Members of Parliament and ex-Members, artists, journalists and art critics … dignified figures of some of the chief Hindu representatives… Mrs (Sarojini) Naidu, the statesman-poet... and Sir Purshotamdas Thakurdas, one of the Mahatma's colleagues'. The oil portrait occupied pride of place, and was presented on an easel. Saddened by the result of the conference, Gandhi left London on December 5, 1931 and declined invitations to visit America and Europe. He only agreed to spend a few days in Switzerland with his biographer Romain Rolland, and visited the Vatican before returning to India on December 28. Within a week, he was imprisoned and the Civil Disobedience movement was resumed. But Gandhi did not let political events get in the way of social niceties. His long-time associate and secretary Mahadev Desai wrote a letter to Leighton in December 1931 which thanked her for her painting. 'It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi's portrait. I am sorry I didn't see the final result, but many of my friends who saw it in the Albany Gallery said to me that it was a good likeness. I am quite sure Mr Gandhi has no objection to its being reproduced,' he wrote. The Bonhams website explains that the painting was also shown in 1978 as part of the Boston Public Library's exhibition, Clare Leighton: American Sheaves English Seed Corn. The work showed clear signs of restoration. The Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory had repaired tears in several places — according to the artist's family, the painting was attacked by a religious zealot in 1974. The work remained in the family after Leighton's death in 1989.
Edinburgh Reporter
7 days ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
Peploe's still life masterpiece sold
A century-old masterpiece by the leading Scottish Colourist Samuel John Peploe has sold for more than £380,000 as it was put up for sale at auction for the first time. The still life painting 'Roses in a Green Jug' was completed around 1925, when Peploe was at the peak of his artistic career, working in a studio in Shandwick Place, Edinburgh. It was bought by his patron, the Glasgow shipping magnate Major Ion R. Harrison, and hung in his home, Croft House, in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire. The signed 22 x 18 inch oil painting was the highlight of Bonhams' Scottish Art Sale, just a stone's throw from the former New Town studio where it was created 100 years ago. It was sold to a private UK collector bidding online for £381,400. May Matthews, Managing Director of Bonhams Scotland, said: 'Peploe's Roses in a Green Jug was a masterful execution of composition and colour. 'The work had a remarkable provenance, having once hung in the drawing room of Croft House owned by Ion R. Harrison, a notable patron of the Scottish Colourists. 'There was considerable interest in the painting, which was enjoyed by members of the public ahead of the sale, and we are delighted with the price it achieved.' S.J. Peploe, born in Edinburgh in 1871, was the eldest of the four Scottish Colourists, who also included John Duncan Fergusson, George Leslie Hunter and Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell. Peploe spent much of his career on a quest to produce the perfect still life, and became renowned for his compositions. Major Harrison first encountered his work at an exhibition in Glasgow in 1921 and became a close friend and patron. Harrison collected works by all four Colourists, which he displayed in Croft House, side by side 'in glorious harmony'. However, 'Roses in a Green Jug' was among his most treasured paintings, taking pride of place in the drawing room. It can be seen hanging in the background of F.C.B. Cadell's 'Portrait of Mrs Ion R. Harrison', which he painted in 1932. Credit Saltire News and Sport Ltd Credit Saltire News and Sport Ltd Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Edinburgh Reporter
Vettriano studies sold at auction
A group of six studies by the late Scottish artist Jack Vettriano fetched nearly £132,000 at auction in Edinburgh amid a peak in interest in his work following his recent unexpected death. The oil paintings were completed by Vettriano over a period of more than 20 years and included subjects ranging from a poignant self portrait to one of his iconic racing car scenes. The works, which led Bonhams' Scottish Art Sale in Edinburgh, were among the first by Vettriano to appear at auction since the artist died in March, aged 73, at his home in Nice in the south of France. The highlight was Pendine Beach (Study), painted in 1996, which made £44,800. The picture was part of a series by Vettriano featuring racing driver Malcolm Campbell in his land speed record-breaking car Bluebird. It was commissioned by the late designer and restaurateur Sir Terance Conran and hung in his Bluebird Restaurant in London, Vettriano's study for 'Self Portrait – Lost Soul', which fetched £11,500, showed the late artist dressed all in black standing with hands in his pockets under a Biblical quote reading: 'For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' Meanwhile, the artist's 'Daytona Diner', painted in 1995 as a study for his famous larger work, 'Diner', fetched £14,100, and 'A Letter of Consequence', showing a man examining a note, was sold for £19,200. Another study titled 'The White Basque' was sold for £28,200 and Vettriano's 1996 painting 'Girls will be Boys' doubled its estimate by making £14,100. Bonhams, who had worked closely with Vettriano in the past, paid tribute to the 'people's painter' and led the sale with his work. May Matthews, Managing Director of Bonhams Scotland, said: 'Jack Vettriano's death is a great loss to Scottish art. 'His paintings are distinctive and original and what's more, they are familiar to the person in the street with little or no knowledge of Scottish art. In this he is perhaps unique, and why he has been given the title of 'the people's painter'. 'We've seen a lot of interest in Vettriano's work since his death, and it was no surprise that all six studies sold well.' Vettriano was born Jack Hoggan, in 1951, and raised in Methil, Fife. He famously took up painting as a hobby after a girlfriend bought him a set of watercolours for his 21st birthday in November 1972. By the time he came to prominence in 1988, he had adopted his mother's maiden name, Vettriano. Scotland's most commercially successful artist, his most famous painting, The Singing Butler, with figures dancing on a beach under a cloudy sky, was sold at auction in 2004 for £744,800. Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
04-05-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
Peploe masterpiece for sale at Bonhams Edinburgh
A century-old still life masterpiece by the leading Scottish Colourist Samuel John Peploe could fetch up to £350,000 at auction in Edinburgh this month. The oil painting 'Roses in a Green Jug' was completed around 1925, when Peploe was at the peak of his artistic career, working in a studio in Shandwick Place, Edinburgh. It was bought by his patron, the Glasgow shipping magnate Major Ion R. Harrison, and hung in his home, Croft House, in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire. The signed 22 x 18 inch oil painting on canvas will be among the highlights of Bonhams' Scottish Art Sale on May 21, where it is expected to attract bids of £250,000-350,000. May Matthews, Managing Director, Bonhams Scotland, said: 'Peploe's Roses in a Green Jug is a masterful execution of composition and colour, taking inspiration from Paul Cezanne and French Post-Impressionism, while maintaining the artist's distinctive individual style. 'Peploe's still lifes were meticulously planned and executed, creating the dialogue between object and space for which he and his fellow Colourists were renowned. 'The work has a remarkable provenance, having once hung in the drawing room of Croft House owned by Ion R. Harrison, a notable patron of the Scottish Colourists. 'We expect significant interest for this rare and exciting work offered at auction for the very first time.' Other highlights in the sale include paintings by Peploe's fellow Colourists F.C.B. Cadell's and George Leslie Hunter. Cadell's portrait of May Easter could fetch £40,000-60,000, while his landscape depicting The Island of Rhum from Iona is expected to make £30,000-50,000, while Hunter's Still Life with Jug carries an estimate of £20,000-30,000. S.J. Peploe, born in Edinburgh in 1871, was the eldest of the four Scottish Colourists, who also included John Duncan Fergusson, George Leslie Hunter and Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell. Peploe spent much of his career on a quest to produce the perfect still life, and became renowned for his compositions. In a letter, he wrote: 'There is so much in mere objects, flowers, leaves, jugs, what not — colours, forms, relations — I can never see the mystery coming to an end.' Major Harrison first encountered Peploe's work at an exhibition in Glasgow in 1921 and was captivated by his still lifes. He became a close friend and patron of Peploe and the other Scottish Colourists, and built a remarkable collection of their works. Harrison considered all four artists 'equally great, each in his own special way' and hung their work in Croft House side by side 'in glorious harmony'. Saltire News and Sport Ltd SJ Peploe Roses in a Green Jug_02.jpg ROSES IN A GREEN JUG, A STILL LIFE PAINTING BY THE SCOTTISH COLOURIST ARTIST SAMUEL JOHN PEPLOE, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO FETCH £250,000-350,000 AT AUCTION IN EDINBURGH, THE CITY WHERE IT WAS PAINTED ALMOST EXACTLY A CENTURY AGO, AROUND 1925. SEE STORY FROM GEORGE MAIR, SALTIRE NEWS, 07703 172 263 Tel: Mobile: 07703 172 263 E-mail: george@ PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Like this: Like Related
