40 Chandigarh articles up for sale in biggest heritage auction

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 27

In the biggest-ever auction of UT’s heritage items, as many as 40 artefacts from the city will go under the hammer in France on January 29. The items are likely to fetch Rs 4.02 crore to Rs 5.74 crore.

The artefacts, designed by architects Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier and Balkrishna Doshi, include a pair of teak stools; a low chair with transversal back; two large file racks; a bamboo iron chair with cushion; a teak lounge table; two bamboo chairs; an armchair; easy chairs; a coffee table; armless chairs; committee desk; two teak screens; a set of six floating back chairs; office cane chair; kangaroo teak sofa bench; display and blue metal teak bookcase; a teak and iron chair; a pair of iron high stools; a tree trunk table; two takedown armchairs; a mobile cane seat; a pigeonhole desk; a set of four back office cane seats; a file rack; a box (student) chair; a lounge chair; a cross easy chair; teak desk; a teak bench; and a cane seat.

Seeking investigation into the auction of UT heritage articles in France, Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration, has written to Nathalie Chanvallon, Judicial Police Officer, Paris (France), who had visited the city last year.

Jagga said during her visit to Chandigarh with a French delegation in November, they had discussed the matter of illegal sale of UT’s heritage articles and decided to share information regarding auction in France “so as to track the transactions and reach ultimate bottom of this network, which has taken the goods out of India, despite orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (2011). An auction house called Osenat in France is going to auction, perhaps one of the biggest auctions having more than 40 lots of Chandigarh articles on January 29,” he stated. The total value ranges between Rs 4.02 crore and Rs 5.74 crore.

He said the auction was being conducted at Hotel Des Ventes du Chateau-13, Avenue de Saint Cloud-78000, Versailles (known for world heritage sites).

He said the costliest article, priced at Rs 40 lakh to Rs 53.34 lakh, is a display and blue metal teak bookcase with front sliding doors, glass sides and top, with two blue lacquered metal crenellated interior shelves with variable height on a matching base.

He urged Nathalie to look into the matter in accordance with the French as well as international laws.

Bookcase costliest artefact Rs 40l - Rs 53.34l

A ‘display and blue metal teak bookcase’ with front sliding doors, glass sides and top, having two blue lacquered metal crenellated interior shelves with variable height on a matching base is the costliest article.

May fetch Rs 4.02 cr to Rs 5.74 cr

• The heritage artefacts designed by Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier and Balkrishna Doshi are likely to fetch Rs 4.02 cr to Rs 5.74 cr
• Items include a pair of teak stools, teak lounge table, two bamboo chairs, two teak screens, kangaroo teak sofa bench, a teak desk, a teak bench, etc
• UT Heritage Items Protection Cell member has urged Nathalie Chanvallon, Judicial Police Officer, Paris, to act as per French and international laws

Rs 4 crore Previous highest amount fetched during auction of Chandigarh’s heritage articles in France on June 14 last year