Priced Heritage
When a late 19th-century painting by Raja Ravi Varma sells for $17.9 million (₹167 crore) at an auction, the number is arresting ~ but the meaning lies elsewhere.
Raja Ravi Varma’s iconic painting ‘Yashoda and Krishna’ has just smashed records at an auction in Mumbai by selling for jaw-dropping ₹167.20 crore (USD 17.98 million). That’s right. This 19th-century masterpiece now holds crown as the most expensive work of modern Indian art ever sold at auction, leaving MF Husain’s previous ₹118 crore record far behind.
Painted in the 1890s, ‘Yashoda and Krishna’ captures a tender domestic scene that turns mythological magic into something almost touchable. Yashoda, Krishna’s foster mother, is seen milking a cow, while little Krishna mischievously reaches for a goblet of milk from behind.
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Who bought the painting?
The new owner? None other than Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla, managing director of the Serum Institute of India. In a statement, Poonawalla shared, “I am privileged to have the opportunity to acquire, preserve, and care for the iconic Raja Ravi Varma painting ‘Yashoda and Krishna’. This national treasure deserves to be made available for public viewing periodically, and it will be my endeavour to facilitate this going forward.”
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About Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma, born in 1848 into the aristocratic Kilimanoor family of Travancore, was a ‘revolution’. He introduced oil painting to India on grand scale by fusing European realism with Indian mythological subjects. This combination made his work both timeless and accessible.
By 1894, Varma had also set up lithographic press to mass-produce affordable prints. He just went on to ensure that iconic images of Hindu gods and goddesses, including Krishna, reached homes across India.
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