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Lot 183

Der Akt ( The Nude ) C.1894

ASN0006
Auction Type: live
Two Views of (a) A Nude being served Wine by an African Maid
(b) A Partially Nude lady reclining on a Chaise Lounge with a Lady Musician entertaining her within a oriental setting The German model books depicting classical poses of men, women, and children , these magazines were advertised in Germany as AKTSTUDIEN ( Studies in the NUDE ) for the artist, but were generally bought as easily available erotic magazines during that time. all Oleographs printed in Germany
(a) 51 x 40 cm
(b) 42 x 32 cm
Estimate: ₹30,000₹40,000
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Details

"Depiction of nudes easily provoked the censor, or one of the many groups professing to fight against social evils. Obscenity was always high on the agenda. In 1849 a case centered around the sale of " German Prints" featuring Nude Ladies extensively all over India. The Bombay High Court held that naked pictures of classical subjects were not Obscene, in that, the artist had higher ideals then those of merely exciting the sensual appetites of the spectators.
Ref; Extracted from Raja Ravi Varma, Portrait of an Artist edited by Ervin Neumayer & Christine Schelberger. Oxford.