Raja Ravi Varma Masterpiece Sells for ₹167.2 Crore, Sets Indian Art Record
Raja Ravi Varma Masterpiece Sells for ₹167.2 Crore, Sets Indian Art Record
Raja Ravi Varma’s Yashoda and Krishna sells for ₹167.2 crore at Saffronart, surpassing the previous record and spotlighting the enduring value of modern Indian art.
In Mumbai, Raja Ravi Varma’s Yashoda and Krishna, painted in the 1890s, fetched a record ₹167.2 crore at Saffronart, setting a new benchmark for modern Indian art. The intimate mother-and-child scene shows a luminous infant Krishna leaning into his mother Yashoda, a moment that blends tenderness with divinity and has long been celebrated as a milestone in Indian art.
The sale price far surpassed its pre-auction estimate of ₹80–120 crore and eclipsed the previous modern Indian art record of ₹118 crore set by MF Husain’s Gram Yatra last year. The buyer was Cyrus S Poonawalla, chairman and managing director of the Serum Institute of India, who said the work should stay in India and be made accessible to the public, describing it as a privilege and a responsibility.
Raja Ravi Varma, born in 1848 in Kilimanoor, Kerala, is renowned for mythological scenes rendered in oil, and Yashoda and Krishna remains one of his most iconic canvases. The auction underscores the continuing appeal and value of modern Indian art among private collectors, as works with cultural resonance and historical significance command record prices.
