Mumbai: The painting 'Yashoda Krishna' by Raja Ravi Varma was sold for Rs 38 crore during an auction at the Pundole Art Gallery in Mumbai. The officials of the gallery, which conducted the auction, have said that this is the highest amount that they have ever secured for a Raja Ravi Varma painting.

"This could be a world record for Ravi Varma paintings… I am not aware of any other painting of his being sold for such a high price," said gallery director Dadiba Pundole. It cannot be revealed who bought the painting. Several people took part in the auction in person as well as over the phone and online, he added.

Another Ravi Varma painting, 'Lord Shiva and Family', was sold for Rs 16 crore at the auction. A painting depicting 'killing of Kamsa and youthful Krishna' fetched Rs 4 crore. Various other paintings were sold for Rs 2.6 crore. The painting 'Radha in the Moonlight' by Raja Ravi Varma had been sold for Rs 20 crore during an auction at the Pundole Art Gallery a few years ago.

The painting 'Yashoda Krishna' was part of the family collection of Fritz Schleicher, a German native, who had bought the Ravi Varma Press at Lonavala in Pune. The price for the painting was set at Rs 15 crore that went up to Rs 38 crore at the auction. The excellence in painting, alluring subject and preserving the painting in good quality are the reasons for fetching such a high price, opined Dadiba Pundole.