Mica paintings are famous for their strong colors and exquisite forms, and have inherent heritage value. These paintings were created by Indian painters, but they were created in a European style, and more specifically, in the manner of the company's art academy. Few such 19th-century mica paintings can be found in the Indian market, and they are now sold in the Delhi mansion of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi.

The funds from the sale of these paintings will be used to fund a veterinary hospital in Raipur, which will be owned by People For Animals (PFA), an animal welfare organization run by Gandhi.

When discussing her efforts with the Guardian 20, Gandhi said: “PFA did not get anything from the government. All the funds we get after selling the artwork are used for PFA.”

The miniatures for sale were made in Patna, Benalas, Murshidabad and Trichinopoli. These artworks represent the visual social history of India in the 19th century. They depict domestic servants, musicians and dancers, religious ceremonies, court scenes, Hindu gods, and the local flora and fauna of the area.

Gandhi collected these paintings for a long time. She said: “These paintings are usually not found in the Indian market. They are mainly sold in the UK. The British used to ask Indians to make these to promote tourism in India, which is why you have represented Indian trade, handicrafts, palkis Paintings. The only place where you can find most of them is in the British market."

Due to the fragility of the material, mica painting needs to be very careful. If handled roughly, it will peel off easily. It is estimated that as of now, there are only about 7,000 mica paintings in the world. Gandhi said. "Mica is a very important part of our heritage. These are museum-level works. Unfortunately, the National Museum has stopped buying since 1996, which is shameful. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a room dedicated to the art of Indian mica. There are 750 of them. So, my first choice is to give them to a collector so that it can be used as a collectible. But other than that, anyone can buy them." The price of these paintings It ranges from 45,000 rupees to over 100,000 rupees per parcel.

Mica is a transparent material made of potassium silicate, found in southern India and parts of Bihar. This material is formed between granite formations. So its transparency can be attributed to the heat and pressure formed between the rock formations. As a painting medium, mica flakes are colored with gouache. Its smooth structure will not allow the paint to sink, and the colors painted on it appear extraordinarily bright.

Artists used muscovite extensively in many of these paintings-various kinds of mica that are easily found in South India. Because the surface of mica is very smooth, artists must use color-bonded media to create these works. In some paintings, the front and back sides of the paper are painted-to enhance the opacity of the paint. And this method makes the painting appear three-dimensional.

For the past 20 years, Gandhi’s animal welfare organization PFA has been part of a similar cultural event—an event organized each year to showcase new and forgotten aspects of Indian culture. In 1987, PFA even organized a group exhibition featuring a group of future celebrities. "At that time, the price of Jogen Chowdhury was 20,000 rupees, and the most expensive one was Raza, which was 100,000 rupees." On one occasion, Gandhi also organized an art exhibition and exhibited a set of exclusive mimeographs by Raja Ravi Varma. “The lithographs that people see at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi are also sold to them,” she said.

For decades, Gandhi has been an art collector. She said: "I have always been interested in paintings since I was 18 years old. I first obtained them from Dhoomimal [an art gallery in Delhi]. At that time, all I could afford was a few small black and white paintings."

The minister is fascinated by a wide range of artists and art movements. "All works of classical, modern and contemporary can provide a lot of things," she said. But in fact, what she is most interested in is the heritage element in art: "I look at heritage value. I am interested in everything related to heritage, whether it is glass, ceramics or textiles. It should be related to India. This is very important to me. I also collect ancient coins and bronze art."

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