Portrait believed to be only one Gandhi sat for sells for Rs 1.7 crore at Bonhams

LONDON: A rare Gandhi portrait, believed to be the only oil painting Mahatma Gandhi ever sat for, sold in an online auction at Bonhams on Tuesday for £152,800 (Rs 1.7 crore.)

“Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi” by British artist Clare Leighton sold for triple its estimate of £50,000-£70,000 (Rs 57 lakh to Rs 80 lakh). It was the top lot in the Travel and Exploration online sale and the first time this portrait has been sold at auction.

According to the artist’s family, the portrait was on public display in 1974 when it was allegedly attacked with a knife by a Hindu right-wing activist. The catalogue entry refers to signs of restoration to tears in several places.

Leighton met Gandhi when he visited London in 1931 to attend the Second Round Table Conference.

At the time, Leighton was in a relationship with political journalist Henry Noel Brailsford, who was a passionate supporter of Indian Independence. It was through this connection that she was introduced to Gandhi and was one of the few artists admitted to Gandhi’s office to sit with him to sketch and paint him.

In November 1931, Leighton showcased her portraits in an exhibition at the Albany Galleries in London.

Journalist Winifred Holtby attended the opening and wrote: “The little man squats bare-headed, in his blanket, one finger raised, as it often is to emphasise a point, his lips parted for a word that is almost a smile… the statesman who knows just how to play on the psychology of friends and enemies alike.”