Another set of heritage items to be auctioned

CHANDIGARH: Notwithstanding UT adviser's recent claims to ministry of home affairs about requesting the international auction-houses to put the recently-held auctions on hold, another New York-based Phillips de Pury and Company is ready to give more nightmares to the administration on December 14. Set to auction at least 10 different heritage furniture pieces of both Le Corbuersier and his second cousin Pierre Jeannet, drawn from PGI, Punjab and Haryana high court, Capitol Complex and assembly house, these will go under the hammer between Rs 30 to 50 lakh.
Inquiries from the concerned auction-house's website reveals that rare and state-of-the-art exclusive dining table, sourced from the premier city-based medical hospital and education institute PGI, would be put up for auction between Rs 15 to 25 lakh. Apart from these, two different sets of four “cross easy armchairs”, sourced from Punjab Engineering College, would be sold between Rs 15 to 22.5 lakh each and a teakwood carved mold from the high-security Capitol Complex will be auctioned between Rs 9 to 15 lakh.
A public bench from Punjab and Haryana high court would also be up for grabs for Rs 3.50 to 6 lakh and a pair of “advocate press armchairs” would be auctioned between Rs 6 to 10 lakh.
This is the second Chandigarh-based heritage furniture auction as the last was auctioned on September 29 this year by the same company, Phillips de Pury, where as many as 10 lots of writing armchairs, office desk tables and beds were taken from Panjab University, PGI and administrative buildings in Chandigarh for auction. And like previously, for the December 14 heritage furniture auction, the company has quoted book by Eric Touchaleaume and Gerald Moreau, titled "Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret: The Indian Adventure Design-Art-Architecture" in its online catalogue.
However, in his recent reply to the ministry of home affairs on UT's action-taken report on the frequent heritage furniture auctions, UT adviser K K Sharma has admitted the theft saying, “In the clear idea of heritage value of old furniture and other items, these were sold as scrap by various offices which got into hands of art collectors and went out of the country. Some ex-employees or their family members might have aided in the process knowingly or unknowingly.”