Saffronart's 2024 Auction Sets New Records for Antiquarian Books and Collectibles

Saffronart’s Passages to India Auction 2024: A Journey Through Rare Books, Prints, Maps, Photographs, and Letters concluded on 24-26 July with an impressive 97% of lots sold, reaching a total sales value of INR 6.47 crores (USD 779,711). This online auction provided collectors with the rare opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant items related to India, encompassing a wide range of subjects such as history, art, literature, color prints, photography, and cartography. The auction attracted enthusiastic global participation, with several lots exceeding their pre-sale estimates.

The top lot of the auction, Les Hindous: Ou Description de Leurs Moeurs, Coutumes et Cérémonies [Rothschild Collection] by François Balthazar Solvyns (lot 93), achieved a remarkable INR 1.14 crores (USD 137,349), nearly three times its higher estimate. This sale set a world record for the highest price ever achieved for this book at auction and marks the highest price for an antiquarian book by an Indian auction house. The collection, originating from the personal library of Baron de Rothschild, comprises four volumes featuring text in French and English, accompanied by intricate coloured plates depicting ethnographic details of Calcutta society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Another significant lot was the first edition of the Constitution of India drafted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (lot 91), which sold for INR 48 lakhs (USD 57,831), more than double its higher estimate. This price is the highest ever achieved for this edition at an Indian auction. The lot is one of only 1,000 copies and is notable for its printed signatures of the framers of the Constitution, calligraphy by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, and illustrations by Nandalal Bose and other artists from Santiniketan.

Additional highlights included Oriental Scenery. One Hundred and Fifty Views of the Architecture, Antiquities and Landscape Scenery of Hindoostan by Thomas and William Daniell (lot 92), which sold for INR 31.2 lakhs (USD 37,590), exceeding its higher estimate. The first printed edition of The Bhagvat-Geeta, translated by Charles Wilkins in 1785 (lot 1), fetched INR 19.20 lakhs (USD 23,133), nearly four times its lower estimate. This edition, an influential text in Romantic literature, is the first printed version of the Gita in English, predating any written version in an Indian language.

Several other lots also surpassed their higher estimates, including Robert Montgomery Martin’s book on British India (lot 3), Captain Robert Smith's Asiatic Costumes (lot 12), A.S.G. Butler’s The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens (lot 51), James Baille Fraser’s Exquisite Collection of Calcutta Prints (lot 90), and Emery Kelen’s Indian Round Table Conference from 1930 (lot 88).

Minal Vazirani, President and Co-Founder of Saffronart, remarked, “The success of our Passages to India auction highlights the growing market for collectibles. The auction demonstrated the diverse interests of South Asian collectors and the historical value of each lot. The impeccable provenance and personal histories of the items, such as the leading lot by Solvyns from the Rothschild library and the first edition of the Constitution of India, contributed significantly to their value. We were thrilled to see competitive bidding from both first-time buyers and seasoned collectors, all vying for these rare and unique works.”

For further analysis and details on the Passages to India Auction, visit saffronart.com.

About Saffronart

Founded in 2000 by Minal and Dinesh Vazirani, Saffronart is a premier international auction house and India’s most renowned, with over three hundred auctions to its credit. Based in Mumbai, with offices in New Delhi, London, and New York, Saffronart has been at the forefront of the Indian art market, conducting online and live auctions, exhibitions, and Dialogues in Art. The auction house is committed to transparency in the auction process and providing collectors worldwide with access and information. In addition to auctions, Saffronart offers private sales, appraisals, and valuations, setting global benchmarks for online auctions. It was featured in a Harvard Business School case study in 2005.