Auction Alert: Indian Folk & Tribal Art Goes on Sale

Saffronart is to hold its first ever auction of Indian Folk and Tribal art and objects. The 24-hour auction has 75 lots, each representing the contemporary visual culture and artistic practices of the country's many folk and tribal groups.

An auction highlight is a wooden Theyyam dancer's headgear from Kerala. Theyyam is a socio-religious performance practiced for several centuries in Northern Kerala to propitiate the gods, ancestral spirits and heroes.

The elaborately carved wooden headgear, which is held together by a cord so as to give an illusion of movement when worn, is the headdress of the 'theyya', or oracle. It also bears the figures of Goddess Laxmi and her two attendants at its apex, along with several Tullu inscriptions.

Also look out for works by Gond artists like the Jangarh Singh Shyam, Nankusia Shyam, Shanti Bai and Ram Singh Urveti, varli artist Jivya Soma Mashe and other artists including Bhuri Bai and Pushpa Kumari.

Saffronart's auction of Indian Folk and Tribal Art and Objects begins on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 8.00 pm IST at Saffronart.com