Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has decided to sell her valuable collection of mica paintings—around 200 of them—to set up a hospital for animals in Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The intention, she said, was not to make profit, but to make enough money to help the animals.
“It was a difficult decision [to sell the paintings],” Gandhi told THE WEEK. “But I need money to set up the hospital. We don’t have one for animals in Chhattisgarh. We were recently allotted land by the state government. We want to build it at the earliest.”
The paintings are made on mica—a shiny silicate mineral with a layered structure, composed of complex mixtures of potassium silicates. They are rare and look like paintings on glass.
Gandhi collected these paintings over the years from dealers across the world. All her mica paintings were kept in her Delhi residence. The price of the paintings range from Rs 35,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, depending on the quality of work. The biggest mica painting available with her is 12cmx15cm, and the smallest is 5cmx7cm.
Mica paintings represent the Company School of Painting, the Indo-European style of paintings assigned by European patrons and brought out by Indian artists. Mica paintings, which served as relics of 19th century India in Europe, remain unscathed despite the brittleness of mica.
There are less than 7,000 mica paintings left in the world. Of them, close to 700 are in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Mica paintings from Maneka Gandhi's personal collection
The colouring matter used in mica paintings are mixed with different quantities of binding medium and are thickly applied with a brush. Paint is brushed on to the front and back surfaces of the mica sheet to give the painting a three-dimensional appearance.
Mica paintings are mostly postcard-sized. If not handled properly, it can peel off. Mica paintings should not be stacked on top of one another and it should be stored vertically in a box with utmost care. A hardboard base doesn’t safeguard mica paintings. It is better to place a good quality glass in front and behind the painting. In case the paintings get damaged due to pollution or mishandling, it should to be taken to experts who conserve them.
Gandhi, whose is an avid animal lover, set up the People for Animals (PFA)—an animal rights organisation—in 1994. It has more than 2,50,000 members and 34 charitable veterinary hospitals in India. The organisation lobbies for animal rights and does legal work on animal welfare. PFA runs India’s only wildlife hospital in Bengaluru.
Gandhi has been selling her prized belongings every now and then for the betterment of animals. In 2001, she sold her designer candles, and, in 2016, she organised an exhibition-cum-sale of Raja Ravi Varma’s oleographs, earnings of which went to the hospitals run by the PFA.
Said Shilpa Bhargav, PR manager, PFA, to THE WEEK, “Many Indians are unaware of mica paintings. Foreigners have more information about mica paintings than us. The intention here is also to bring to people’s knowledge arts and crafts which belong to our rich heritage.”