LUDHIANA: A rare piece of body armour that experts believe belonged to the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, would be auctioned in one of London's most prestigious auction houses, Sotheby's, next month.
Only a few days ago, an untitled work by M F Hussain fetched $ 409,000 during Sotheby's New York spring sales of Indian art. Meanwhile, the Sikh Guru's inscribed steel armour plate would be auctioned in Sotheby's Arts of the Islamic World Sale that the auction house has termed as the "most important of its kind the company has ever staged" on April 9.
The auction, first of its kind offering a relic belonging to a Sikh Guru, comes at a time when the interest in Sikh heritage among art collectors and connoisseurs of Sikh heritage across the globe is growing, said Amandeep Singh Madra, a London-based art historian, who specialises in Sikh art and heritage.
Sikh heritage objects have been realising impressive prices in recent times. The most remarkable example was that of the marble bust of Maharaja Duleep Singh. In an auction held at Bonham's in April 2007, it was bought for £1.7 million, much above the expected price of £30,000.
The plate, which would be included in the Arms, Armour and Militaria section of the sale, has an estimate of 10,000-12,000 pounds, according to a Sotheby's release.
The steel plate would originally have been part of a set of body armour known by its Persian name, 'char-aina' (four mirrors) comprising back, front, and two side plates, Madra said
