'Most of Tagore's important correspondence is held in institutional archives. So offerings like this in the public domain are few and far between.'
A set of 35 handwritten letters by Rabindranath Tagore, along with 14 envelopes, was sold for Rs 5.9 crore (Rs 59 million) at a recent auction, underscoring the Nobel Laureate's undying allure.
The AstaGuru's auction -- Collectors' Choice -- was held on June 26-27.
The letters auctioned were penned by Tagore to sociologist, musicologist and confidant Dhurjati Prasad Mukerji between 1927 and 1936.
Twelve of these letters were written on different letterheads -- from Visva-Bharati, his Uttarayan residence, Glen Eden in Darjeeling, and aboard his houseboat, Padma.
AstaGuru said the auction was especially significant considering the lot was not a visual artwork but a manuscript-based archive and yet became the second-highest price ever achieved for a Rabindranath Tagore creation at an auction.
This is not just a literary artefact, it's a self-portrait of the Nobel Laureate in his own words, Manoj Mansukhani, chief marketing officer, AstaGuru, said.
"Their correspondence captures everything from philosophical musings and literary self-defense to aesthetic theory and emotional vulnerability."
According to Mansukhani, Tagore's letters are rare even though individual letters surface.
But a set as extensive, intellectually rich, and emotionally candid as this, comprising 35 handwritten letters and 14 envelopes, is exceptionally uncommon, he pointed out.
"Also, most of Tagore's important correspondence is held in institutional archives. So offerings like this in the public domain are few and far between."
The letters are from a private collection. The provenance has been carefully documented, and several of the letters have been published in major journals and books over the years, the AstaGuru CMO noted.
Besides the trove of letters, the only known sculpture by Rabindranath Tagore, The Heart, also went under the virtual hammer at the auction.
Believed to be dedicated to Kadambari Devi, the wife of Tagore's brother Jyotirindranath, the quartzite piece was sold for around Rs 1.04 crore (Rs 10.4 million).
It goes back to 1883 during a retreat in Karwar, Karnataka. Tagore was 22 years of age at the time.
Tagore's letters and The Heart were among a total of 77 lots offered at the auction. While the letters fetched the highest price, the second highest went for a work by M F Husain from his Mother Teresa series. The painting was sold for around Rs 3.8 crore (Rs 38 million).
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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