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Lot 7

 

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The painting is a study for the mural that was created for the CIBA plant in Bhandup, Mumbai (see photograph). Here, three parallel scenes centred on 'Nature, Science, and Health' unfold in this painting. At the left is a village doctor tending to patients using natural methods. Hebbar explains that he is prescribing herbal roots and powder to his patients. He captures the typicality of a rural scene by showing a labourer returning home after... The painting is a study for the mural that was created for the CIBA plant in Bhandup, Mumbai (see photograph). Here, three parallel scenes centred on 'Nature, Science, and Health' unfold in this painting. At the left is a village doctor tending to patients using natural methods. Hebbar explains that he is prescribing herbal roots and powder to his patients. He captures the typicality of a rural scene by showing a labourer returning home after working in the fields. The centre scene captures the transition to advanced medical techniques. Here, scientists study the herbs for their medicinal properties and synthesise them to create the modern day drug. Hebbar describes the celebratory scene at the right-a scene common among many indigenous drawings-as "health achieved" owing to the advancement of medicine.

This painting was in the possession of Dr H. Meyer, the father of the current owner, who worked at CIBA, a subsidiary of CIBA Ltd., a prestigious pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Meyer worked at the plant at Bhandup, Mumbai, in the mid-1950s. Hebbar was a family friend and Dr. Meyer would purchase works directly from his atelier. The building on which the mural was painted no longer exists.

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