Roseberys’ debut Modern and Contemporary Middle East and South Asian Art auction netted a total of over £635,000, 251% over its high estimate of £180,800.

Lot 21: Francis Newton Souza, Indian 1924-2002- Belsize Park, London, 1961
Price Realised: £299,240


Leading the sale was a 1961 oil on canvas by F.N. Souza, which realised £299,240 against an estimate of £10,000-£15,000. Depicting houses in Belsize Park, where Souza lived in the 1950s and 60s. The work bears the inscription: For Arthur and Diana, with love Howard, 22/5/72.

Lot 55: Leyly Matine-Daftari, Iranian 1937-2007- Untitled, Bottles, 1967
Price Realised: £34,040


Further highlights included Leyly Matine-Daftari’s Untitled (Bottles), 1967, which achieved £34,040 against an estimate of £15,000-£20,000. The work came from a private Iranian collection in the UK. The artist, granddaughter of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, studied at Cheltenham Ladies College and the Slade School of Fine Art before returning to Tehran in the late 1950s. The picture has been exhibited internationally, including at the Asia Society in New York (Iran Modern, 2013-14), the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Salon d’Automne in Paris.

Lot 9: Narayan Shridhar Bendre, Indian 1910-1992- Untitled, Two Women and child sitting under a tree
Price Realised: £36,640


Narayan Shridhar Bendre’s Untitled (Two Women and Child Sitting Under a Tree) realised a price of £36,640 against an estimate of £10,000-£15,000. The work was acquired directly from the artist by Dr A Raj and then sold to Dr S. Majumdar and to Dr B.B. Bhadhuri of Calcutta on 26 August 1991. A founder of the Baroda Group, Bendre was instrumental in shaping post-independence Indian art and mentoring a generation of artists who bridged local traditions with global idioms.

Lot 1: Gaganandranath Tagore, Indian 1867-1938- Untitled; Worshipping
Price Realised: £34,040


Gaganendranath Tagore’s Untitled (Worshipping) achieved £34,040 against an estimate of £2,000-£3,000. One of the earliest Indian modernists, Tagore experimented with cubism and Japanese brushwork to develop a uniquely modern Indian visual language. His engagement with the Swadeshi Movement and his efforts to indigenise art and design at the Jorasanko house in Calcutta made him a pivotal figure in the Bengal School and a precursor to later modernist movements across India.


"For a debut sale, these results are extraordinary and demonstrate the ripe potential of Indian modernism on the middle market. Collectors are recognising the significance and quality of Middle Eastern and South Asian modernist paintings and competing aggressively to secure these works," said Alice Bailey, Director and Head of Islamic & Indian Art at Roseberys.


The auction coincides with a period of rapid growth in the Indian art market, currently valued at $338 million and projected to reach $1.1 billion by 2030. Recent tax reductions and rising wealth among India’s expanding millionaire class have driven increased investment in art as both a cultural asset and financial holding.


*All prices include buyer’s premium