The

first edition

of the

Constitution of India

– considered a work of architecture rather than art – was sold for Rs 48 lakh, its highest price so far, at an auction recently. The rare book, one of the only 1,000 copies made by Survey of India Offices in Dehradun and published by Centre in 1950, contains printed signatures of its makers, including B R Ambedkar as well as calligraphy by

Prem Behari Narain Raizada

and illumination by eminent modern artist

Nandalal Bose

.

This photolithographic copy – whose blueprint is kept in a special helium-filled case in the library of Parliament of India – was part of

Saffronart

‘s three-day online auction from July 24 to 26 that put antiques spanning centuries of Indian history, art, literature and photography under the gavel.
“Besides their aesthetics, each lot holds immense historical value as a documentation of India’s heritage,” Minal Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart, said, citing the Constitution as a significant addition “for its deep emotional resonance as a marker of an independent India and values it stands for”.
The blueprint of the Constitution, drafted by Ambedkar, bears handprints of 284 members of the 1946 Constituent Assembly, including Hindi signature of author Kamla Chaudhary and English signature of then PM Jawaharlal Nehru.

It took six months from Nov 1949 to April 1950 for Rampur-based calligraphist Raizada to write the codes that would govern the country on sheets of handmade Millbourne Loan paper supplied by the controller of printing & stationery. He was awarded Rs 4,000 for the job.
The sheets were later decorated and illuminated by Nandalal Bose and other artists from Santiniketan’s Kala Bhavan in keeping with Nehru’s suggestion to have real gold spray on the margins and illumination on the borders of every page. Bose also drew 22 illustrations, one each at the beginning of each part of the Constitution, rendered largely in the miniature style, representing vignettes from different periods of India. Bose was paid a sum of Rs 21,000 for blending art and history in the 221-page document which took 4 years.