Fifty years after Jai, Veeru and Gabbar first
thundered across the big screen, Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay is back in the spotlight
— this time at the auction block. In a landmark online auction on 22–23 August,
deRivaz & Ives will offer global fans the chance to own two rare Sholay
posters, including a colossal six-sheet re-release design by C. Mohan, as part
of its first-of-its-kind sale combining vintage advertisements, fine arts, rare
books, and cinema publicity material.
The film memorabilia section doesn’t stop at
Sholay. Original posters, lobby cards, and stills from classics like Mahal
(1949), Sangram (1951), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Neel Kamal (1968), and Mera Naam
Joker (1970) capture the magic of Indian cinema’s golden decades. For
cinephiles, these are more than collectibles — they are cultural time capsules
of the stories that shaped a nation.
But cinema is just one dimension of this
richly curated sale. The Modern Indian Fine Arts section (Lots 36–64) showcases
masterpieces by giants such as Ganesh Pyne, M.F. Husain, Jamini Roy, H.A. Gade,
and K.H. Ara. Highlights include Pyne’s Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore
(c.1961), Husain’s Untitled oil (1976–77), and Roy’s Flight into Egypt, a
designated National Art Treasure. From Souza’s landscapes to Piraji Sagara’s
wooden sculpture, the catalogue captures the artistic ferment of
post-Independence India.
The advertising and posters section (Lots
1–35) is equally compelling, charting India’s visual history with a
late-19th-century Bradford Dyers’ Association trade poster, a rare Erasmic
“Himalaya Bouquet” perfume panel (1920s–30s), and glamorous Lux Soap Filmfare
spreads featuring stars from Suraiya to Asha Parekh. Rare Air-India travel
posters and political material such as the “Quit Goa!” poster (1961) complete
the section, revealing how images once sold not just products, but dreams and
ideologies.
Collectors of literature will find treasures
too — from Rabindranath Tagore’s The Parrot’s Training and Other Stories (1944)
to Nicholas Roerich’s Himalaya – A Monograph (1926) and Abdur Rahman Chughtai’s
Poet of the East and Chughtai (1962). These books, alongside works by Sarojini
Naidu and Toru Dutt, underscore the auction house’s reach across art, ideas,
and culture.
Absentee bidding opens 19 August, followed by
the live online auction on 22–23 August, with lots closing sequentially between
6:00 and 8:15 pm IST on the final day. Private previews will be held in New
Delhi and Mumbai from 18–22 August (by appointment).
With its sweeping range — from the most celebrated
film of Indian history to rare canvases, advertisements, and books — this
auction is both marketplace and museum, a place where nostalgia meets
scholarship, and where owning a piece of history becomes possible.
For the full catalogue, registration details,
and Terms & Conditions, visit: https://derivaz-ives.com
