Insights from the Practice — Government Approved Art and Antique Valuation
Working notes and longer essays on the questions collectors, estate executors, institutions, and Chartered Accountants ask about Government Approved art and antique valuation in India — what the AATA means for your collection; why Chola bronze forgeries are so convincing and how TL dating identifies them; what the ₹119 crore Husain sale at Christie’s in March 2025 means for the PAG market; why insurance replacement cost is almost always higher than the original purchase price; and how the IT Department’s search teams value art and antiques in a search proceeding.
Where Art, Law & Valuation Meet
These insights examine the practical issues that arise when Indian art, antiques and cultural assets enter a statutory, institutional or financial setting. The focus is not simply on what an object may be worth, but on authentication, provenance, legal status, market evidence and defensible valuation methodology.
From an AATA assessment of a centuries-old object to an Income Tax search involving a contemporary collection, each subject sits at the intersection of specialist knowledge and formal valuation requirements.
Suggested Practice Articles
Twelve research-led subjects covering antiquities law, authentication, auction markets, taxation, insurance and institutional valuation.
The AATA 1972: How India’s Antiquities Law Affects Your Collection, Your Insurance, and Your Estate
Read Practice Insight → 02 AUTHENTICATION • SCIENTIFIC ANALYSISChola Bronze Forgeries: Why Even Museum Collections Have Been Deceived and How TL Dating Provides the Answer
Read Practice Insight → 03 CONTEMPORARY ART • PAGThe PAG Forgery Problem: How Husain and Souza Signatures Get Added to Lesser Works
Read Practice Insight → 04 AUCTION MARKET • HUSAINThe ₹119 Crore Husain: What the Christie’s March 2025 Sale Means for PAG Valuations
Read Practice Insight → 05 MINIATURES • ATTRIBUTIONThe Jaipur Copy: Why the Miniature You Bought May Be a Skilled 19th-Century Reproduction
Read Practice Insight → 06 INCOME TAX • SECTION 132Section 132 and Art Valuation: What Happens When the IT Department Finds Your Collection
Read Practice Insight → 07 MUSEUMS • SECTION 80GSection 80G Museum Donations: How to Value Your Art Donation and Why Contemporaneous Certification Is Essential
Read Practice Insight → 08 BANKING • COLLATERALArt as Bank Collateral: The Growing Market for Art-Secured Lending in India
Read Practice Insight → 09 AATA • EXPORT LAWThe Export Prohibition: Why Indian Antiquities Cannot Be Sold Internationally Without an ASI Certificate
Read Practice Insight → 10 INSURANCE • REPLACEMENT VALUEUnder-Insurance in Art Collections: Why Your 1995 Purchase Price Is Not Your 2026 Replacement Cost
Read Practice Insight → 11 MUGHAL JEWELLERY • INSTITUTIONALThe ₹50+ Crore Mughal Jewellery Valuation: How India’s Top Auction House Engages a Government Approved Valuer
Read Practice Insight → 12 NUMISMATICS • INDIAN COINSNumismatics and Indian Coins: When Your Grandfather’s Coin Collection Is Worth More Than You Think
Read Practice Insight →Beyond Market Price
Art and antique valuation becomes defensible when market evidence, authentication, legal status and statutory purpose are considered together.
Have an Art or Antique That Requires a Defensible Valuation?
Discuss the asset, statutory purpose and required valuation scope with the practice before proceeding.