New Delhi: Owning an original Raja Ravi Verma is unthinkable because it is so rare. And owning oleograph prints of his works is also unthinkable because they stopped printing in the 1930s.
The father of modern Indian art who painted in the 19th century, Raja Ravi Verma, had the brainwave early in our art world to set up a lithograph press to have oleograph prints of his originals.
An oleograph is basically a lithograph using stone for getting the print on paper.
So, if you get your hands on them, it's an absolute steal because they are sourced from the personal collection of the earstwhile Dewan of Travancore.
Here’s what Raja Ravi Verma is known for:
- Paintings based on Ramayana, Mahabharata, other legends
- Mixed Tanjore style with western realism
- Originals sell up to two crore
A lot of oleographs were sent to Burma for being decorated with fabric, silver, gold threads and beads by local Burmese women.
Even one of the painter’s damaged, torn print will cost Rs 60,000.
Otherwise, the price range for the prints starts from Rs 45,000 up to two lakhs.
Good prints at the exhibition are no where less than Rs 45,000. The small ones are for Rs 5,000 but they are of low quality with the colour bleeding out of the outline.
The sale of oleographs for charity, organised by Maneka Gandhi's People for Animals, at Inter Continental, is on till Tuesday.
(With inputs from Atika Rao)
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