THE ROYAL TOUCH
FOLLOWING the success of Raja Ravi Varma’s untitled painting of Damayanti – that sold last March for a remarkable $1.7 million – Sotheby’s set another benchmark for the artist from the Travancore royal family during its Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art sale last month. Varma’s untitled (Tillottama), a celestial nymph from Hindu mythology who embodies the nearly perfect being, fetched $795,000 following several minutes of bidding between three bidders. Varma’s works – cherished for his ability to intertwine Western academic realism and Indian subject matter – are seldom offered at international auctions. This archetypal work exuded universal appeal.