Chandigarh: Chandigarh’s heritage furniture is once again at the center of an international ownership and provenance dispute, with two pieces designed by Swiss-French architect Pierre Jeanneret set to go under the hammer in Paris and the Netherlands next month. Both auction catalogues specifically trace the furniture to Chandigarh’s administrative buildings.The first lot, a Jeanneret “Chair V Type Cane Seat Cane Back”, is listed as Lot 73 in Artcurial’s “Interior Motives: Artcurial x Reflections” auction in Paris on Sept 30. The teak-and-cane chair, dating to around 1958, has an estimated value of EUR 4,000-6,000. Its catalogue gives the provenance as “Administrative buildings – Chandigarh”.Another significant lot is scheduled at Hessink’s Fine Art Auctioneers in the Netherlands on Oct 10. Lot 28 comprises a set of two Jeanneret X-leg armchairs made of teak and leather, with an estimate of EUR 5,000-7,000 and a starting bid of EUR 3,000. The catalogue records their provenance as “From the Administrative Buildings, Chandigarh, India.”The provenance descriptions have prompted calls for immediate verification of how the furniture left Chandigarh and whether its disposal, transfer or export was ever authorised.The govt has been urged to approach the auction houses and authorities in France and the Netherlands, seeking that the lots be placed on hold pending verification. It has also been asked to obtain complete provenance records, including consignor declarations, purchase invoices, ownership certificates, customs and export documents and details of how and when the furniture left India.Push for restitution“The demand goes beyond stopping the upcoming auctions, with a call for recovery and repatriation of the pieces to Chandigarh if a lawful claim is established,” said advocate and member of Heritage Item Protection Cell (HIPC) Ajay Jagga.The furniture’s significance, advocates argue, extends far beyond its commercial value. Jeanneret-designed furniture formed part of the institutional landscape of Chandigarh during the creation of the planned modernist city.Chandigarh administration has also been urged to revive the Heritage Item Protection Cell (HIPC) as a permanent mechanism to track movable heritage, maintain a database of missing or removed objects and coordinate with customs, international agencies, museums and auction houses.With the Artcurial auction only days away, the immediate focus is on establishing the provenance and legal title of the two lots before they are sold.
