Rs 75 lakh reserve price for heritage chairs

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 19   

The heritage furniture of the city continues to be auctioned in foreign countries. Soon after the auction of the heritage furniture at Oak Park Illinois (USA)   on September 16, another auction is being held in London on September 20. 

This will one of the biggest sales of the heritage items where the estimated cost of the furniture will be around Rs 2 crore. 

The highest reserve price (Rs 75 lakh) has been fixed for the chairs of the Punjab and the Haryana High Court.    Around six lots  of the furniture are being  put on the  sale  through the  online  bidding system  The first item which will be auctioned is a armchair  designed for the  High  Court  with an estimated price  of  Rs 13 lakh. Demountable bed, designed for the Members Legislative Assembly flats, Punjab University student halls and other residencies, designed by Pierre Jeanneret in 1955-1956 will also be auctioned. Their reserve price is Rs 26 lakh.

A ‘reading table’and ‘cane seat wood back’ chair, designed for the High Court, Punjab University library and Central State Library,  will also be auctioned at a reserve price of Rs 26 lakh. A pair of ‘committee’ armchairs, designed for the High Court, the Assembly and Punjab University administrative buildings, Chandigarh, 1959-1960 by Pierre Jeanneret have  been  put under the hammer with the  reserve  price  of Rs  65 to Rs 73 lakh.  The total estimated cost of the project will be around Rs 2 crore. Earlier,  a teak and aluminum periodicals rack designed by Pierre Jeanneret was sold at whopping price of Rs 66 lakh in the USA. The rack was designed for the Panjab university library, but reached the USA like the other furniture sold as scrap. The auction of the rack was held by a Modern Design auction house in New York on Saturday.

Ajay Jagga, an advocate, who has been raising the issue to stop the auction in foreign countries at different levels, said the government should act to stop the heritage loot.