A painting of Maharaja of Travancore by artist Raja Ravi Varma, dating back to 19th century, will go under the hammer at Saffronart's Spring Live Auction on March 26 at Prabhadevi. The painting, estimated between Rs 12-18 crores, is among the 68 works of prominent artists including V S Gaitonde, Akbar Padamsee, among others that will be auctioned on behalf of the tax recovery officer of the city's Income Tax Department. These properties were attached for recovery of Rs 95 crore from defaulter, Camelot Enterprises.

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This, according to a senior tax official and the auctioning company, is the first time that a government body is carrying out an auction of artworks.

"We are extremely excited about our line-up for the back-to-back Spring Auctions. The selection and appointment of Saffronart as the official auctioneer on behalf of the Tax Recovery Officer, Central-3, Mumbai, Income Tax Department, Government of India, is a distinct honour for us. This is the first time a professional auction house has been appointed for an auction of this nature in India," said Dinesh Vazirani, CEO and co-founder of Saffronart.

Leading the sale, in this auction, is an untitled, will be an untitled oil on canvas by VS Gaitonde which dates back to 1973. Also part of the sale will be Akbar Padamsee's 'Grey Nude' (1960), estimated between Rs 1.5 - 2 crore.

The sale will also feature works by eminent contemporary artists including Jitish Kallat, Rameshwar Broota, Atul Dodiya, Rekha Rodwittiya, Justin Ponmany, among others. Detailed contemporary ink works and sculptural digital paintings by five Chinese artists including Wu Yi, Ge Guanzhong, Xu Lei, Miao Xiaochun and Chen Ke will go under the hammer. "Born in the 1960s and 1970s, these artists exhibit a deep and nuanced knowledge of both Chinese and European art history, often marrying the two in their work to create an innovative artistic vocabulary," read a statement by Saffronart.

When contacted Bipin Kumar Gupta, the Tax official responsible for the auction, he said he wasn't authorized to speak.

Raja Ravi Varma's oil on canvas painting, estimated between Rs 12-18 crores, features the Maharaja and his younger brother welcoming Richard Temple-Grenville, the third Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Governor-General of Madras (1875-80), on his official visit to Trivandram, the capital of Travancore, a princely state in Southern India, in 1880. Ravi Varma was invited to document this historical event and upon completion, the artwork was gifted to the Duke as a token of appreciation. After his death, the painting was passed on to his eldest daughter Baroness Kinloss. In the 1920s, it changed hands and became a part of Castle House, Buckingham, the offices of Buckinghamshire County Council, and remained there until 1974, when a private collector acquired it.