Previous Page  162-163 / 310 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 162-163 / 310 Next Page
Page Background

43

THE EARLIEST AND RAREST BOOK ON

ASIT KUMAR HALDAR

ASIT KUMAR HALDAR

By James H. Cousins with annotations on the plates by

Ordhendra Coomar Gangoly

[Modern Indian Artists, Volume Two]

No. 108 of a limited edition of 225 copies [limitation

mentioned on p. 42]

Printed on laid paper with deckled edges

Printed and published by Harimohon Mukhurji at the

Clive Press, Calcutta

1923

pp. viii, 42 + 5 colour plates [one folding] and 20

photogravures, each with tissue guard bearing the

title in red. Sepia plate of Dancing Apsara in text.

Corrigendum sheet included.

Printed on laid paper and bound in beige paper-covered

boards with parchment spine carrying leather title-

ticket. B&W portrait of Haldar pasted on cover with the

title embossed in gilt.

After Mazumdar and Haldarthe series was discontinued.

CONDITION: A lovely copy except for the soiled covers

Size: 10 x 8 inches

In 1920 a journal titled Rupam was started by the

Indian Society of Oriental Art based in Calcutta. Its

editor Ordhendra Coomar Gangoly was a big promoter

of the Bengal School artists. He decided in 1923 to

launch a series titled "Modern Indian Artists" in a

limited edition which seemed to spare no expense in

terms of production values. Wove paper with deckled

edges, parchment spines with leather title tickets,

gilt-embossments and artists' sepia portraits pasted

on cover, title-pages and dedications printed in red,

paintings printed in sepia photogravures or in colour

in which case they were tipped on to thick grey sheets

with tissue guards bearing titles in red, and printing

done on handpresses with fancy typefaces were the

hallmarks of these volumes. The series was supposed

to cover a number of artists but the project was

abandoned after only two volumes had come out.The

first volume was on Kshitindra Nath Mazumdar [mis-

spelt Khsitindra on the title-page which was replaced

with a corrected title-page only after some copies had

sold] and the second on Asit Haldar. The latter was

even more lavish and larger than the first volume and

signified Gangoly's increasing faith in the merits of the

artists he had chosen to promote. Both the volumes are

included in this sale.

Rs 2,00,000-Rs 2,20,000

$3,080-$3,385