The works of artist Raja Ravi Varma, among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art, are a great example of the fusion of European academic art with an Indian sensibility and iconography. The Coquette and Reclining Nair Lady, the two most stunning women painted by him, are now finding their way into the metaverse. With the originals considered national treasures that can’t be brought out of India, RtistiQ, a distinct physical and digital art marketplace—that leverages technologies such as blockchain, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and near field communication (NFC)—is leading the auction of the artworks’ NFT versions. This global auction will give elite collectors, investors and the masses an opportunity to lay claim to a piece of India’s heritage.

This is the first time an NFT auction has been held in partnership with a traditional gallery (Gallery g) as well as with an artist’s foundation (the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation). The latter is authorising the creation and the representation is led by the gallery who will do the artwork upload and minting. The works are the first-ever to be tokenised and launched, accepting payments via credit card and crypto.