The sale of The Asit Kumar Haldar Collection of Indian Art at Venduehuis Den Haag has concluded with outstanding success, achieving a hammer total of over €1.5 million with all lots sold.
The remarkable collection of works by Bengali artist Asit Kumar Haldar (1890–1964) and his contemporaries attracted considerable interest from major Indian buyers, for whom the works of Haldar and his circle represent the finest expression of the Bengal School — an influential early twentieth-century Indian art movement. Alongside Haldar, this school of the Bengali Renaissance included Rabindranath Tagore (1871–1951), the 'father' of the Bengal School, his nephew Abanindranath Tagore (1861–1941), and Nandalal Bose (1882–1966), all of whom were represented in the sale.
Top Lot: Mother India (Division of Bengal) Realises €150,000
The highlight of the sale was the work Mother India (Division of Bengal) (1906), a watercolour and gouache on paper (33.5 × 28.5 cm). This work by Haldar achieved the remarkable sum of €150,000, a result that underscores the exceptional historical and artistic significance of the piece.
The work was created in the immediate aftermath of the Partition of Bengal in 1905. The composition depicts an allegorical figure of Mother India, draped in a saffron-red sari and surrounded by a radiant nimbus. Bearing a staff and ears of grain, she embodies both nationalist resistance and the fertility of the land.
Hans Huygens, Director of Venduehuis Den Haag: "This White Glove result once again demonstrates the strength of a single-owner sale. When a collection tells a compelling and coherent story, Venduehuis Den Haag is able to identify the right buyers for it on an international stage. With bidders from Europe, North America, and Asia, this sale underscores our reach as an international auction house and reaffirms our reputation as the destination of choice for exceptional collections."
About Venduehuis Den Haag
Venduehuis Den Haag is a leading auction house in the Netherlands, founded in 1811 and to this day continuously under the stewardship of The Hague's notarial community. The auction house specialises in the sale of Old Masters, nineteenth-century and early modern paintings, modern art, antiques and design, single-owner and corporate collections, and distinguished international collections. Venduehuis Den Haag is located at Nobelstraat 5, The Hague.