Rare portrait, unpublished letters of Gandhi on sale

An unknown rare pencil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, drawn by artist John Henry Amshewitz and inscribed by Gandhi, is set to be offered at Sothebys London on July 11.

With an estimate of euro 8,000-12,000, this is one of a number of portraits done when Gandhi was visiting London for a Round Table Conference in 1931.

The sketch shows Gandhi writing with a look of intense concentration while seated on the floor. It is inscribed by him with the words "Truth is God / MK Gandhi / 4.12.'31."

This pencil portrait was given to a local resident who was closely associated with Kingsley Hall.

Apart from the portrait, Sotheby's sale will also include a collection of handwritten letters by Gandhi addressed to Sarat Chandra Bose, providing a vivid impression of the intense political pressures Gandhi faced in his final months.

Dating from the mid-1940s, the other letters in the collection affirm Gandhi's continued love for the Bose family.

--IANS

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