Rare oil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi worth Rs 7400000 to be auctioned in...; it was made in 1931 by...

A rare oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi, created in 1931, is all set to go up for auction in London. The artwork is believed to be the only oil portrait for which Gandhi ever sat. It will be auctioned at Bonhams between July 7 and July 15. This unique portrait was painted by British-American artist Clare Leighton, who is better known for her wood engravings. According to Bonhams auction house and Leighton’s family, this painting is an extraordinary piece, both because of the subject and because it is in oil — a medium Leighton rarely used. Rhyanon Demery, Bonhams’ Head of Sale for Travel and Exploration, told AFP, “Not only is this a rare work by Clare Leighton, it is also thought to be the only oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi which he sat for.” Caspar Leighton, Clare’s great-nephew, described the painting as a “likely hidden treasure.” He inherited the portrait through his father, who received it after Clare’s death. Caspar shared that while the painting has personal value to his family, it also holds much deeper historical and cultural meaning. “Maybe it should go back to India — maybe that’s its real home,” he said.

Estimated Price and Previous Exhibits
The Gandhi portrait is being auctioned for the first time and is expected to sell for somewhere between Pound 50,000 and Pound 70,000 (approximately USD 68,000 to USD 95,000). The painting was first displayed in London in November 1931. Its only other known public appearance was at an exhibition in Boston Public Library in 1978, showcasing Clare Leighton’s body of work.

Gandhi and Leighton’s Meeting
The painting came to life after Clare Leighton met Gandhi during his stay in London in 1931, when he was taking part in discussions with the British government about India’s political future. Clare, a member of London’s left-wing artistic community, was introduced to Gandhi by her partner, journalist Henry Noel Brailsford. Caspar believes the two shared a mutual interest in social justice and that there was an artistic and intellectual connection between them.

Attacked and Later Restored
Interestingly, the painting has a dramatic story of damage and repair. In the early 1970s, it was reportedly attacked with a knife by a “Hindu extremist.” Though this incident wasn’t officially documented, a label at the back of the artwork shows it was restored in the United States in 1974. When ultraviolet light was used to examine the painting, a clear shadow of a deep cut across Gandhi’s face could be seen, a trace of the earlier damage. Rhyanon Demery noted, “It feels very deliberate.”

Now carefully restored, the portrait is ready to find a new home, and possibly return to the country of the man it honours.