Gandhi’s rare pencil portrait at Sotheby’s sale

A rare 1931 pencil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi will go under the hammer at the Sotheby's auction on July 11. The portrait was made by John Henry Amshewitz (1882-1942), a versatile artist who had been trained under Sargent at the Royal Academy Schools. The sketch that features Gandhi writing something intensely whilst seated on the floor, is inscribed by him with the words “Truth is God / MK Gandhi / 4.12.'31.”

According to Sotheby’s, Gandhi usually refused to sit for formal photographs, let alone a portrait, making this an extremely rare portrayal of the political leader at work.

The portrait which was made on one of Gandhi’s visits to London for the Round Table Conference in 1931, estimated at a price between ₹6.72 lakhs - ₹10.09 lakhs (approx.),

After Gandhi’s return from London, the art work was given to a local resident who was closely associated with the Kingsley Hall, where the political leader was staying. It had remained in her family ever since.

The sale will also include a collection of handwritten letters by Gandhi addressed to Sarat Chandra Bose and his family, a prominent Indian political dynasty at the time. The most important of the letters are obviously addressed to Sarat Chandra himself, and include key comments on the pivotal partition of Bengal in the months before his assassination, providing a vivid impression of the intense political pressures that Gandhi faced in his final months.

“Gandhi was initially supportive of Bose’s efforts, but shifted his position. He had little sympathy for Bose’s vision of a socialist Bengal and, coming to see that the political forces in favour of Partition were irresistible, turned instead to trying to mitigate its effects, in one letter Gandhi writes, ‘you should give up the struggle for unity of Bengal and cease to disturb the atmosphere that has been created for partition of Bengal.’ ” Sotheby’s said.

Gandhi’s letter to Sarat Chandra Bose is estimated at ₹10.09 lakhs - ₹15. 14 lakhs (approx.).Together, these letters have a combined estimate of ₹19.37 lakh to 27. 79 lakhs (approx.).