sat for is set to be auctioned at Bonhams in July with an estimate of £50,000-£70,000 (Rs 58 lakh to Rs 81 lakh), reported TOI. This will be the first time the portrait will be sold at an auction. It had remained in British artist Clare Leighton’s collection until her death in 1989, after which it was passed down through her family.

Leighton was best known for her her wooden engravings and was introduced to Gandhi when she visited London in 1931 to attend the Second Round Table Conference.

At the time, Leighton was in a relationship with political journalist Henry Noel Brailsford, who was a passionate supporter of Indian Independence. The journalist had visited India in 1930, where he met key freedom fighters. Later, he published the book “Rebel India”, met Gandhi in London in 1931 and introduced Leighton to him.

She was one of the few artists who were admitted to Gandhi's office and had the opportunity to sit with him to sketch and paint him in 1931.

In November 1931, Leighton showcased her portraits at the Albany Galleries in London.Gandhi's personal secretary, Mahadev Desai, wrote a letter to Leighton in December. The copy of which is attached to the backing board, which reads: “It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi’s portrait.”According to Leighton's family, the portrait was displayed in 1974 when it was allegedly attacked with a knife by a Hindu right-wing activist.

The catalogue entry states: “We have found no documentation to corroborate this, but the painting shows signs of restoration to what appears to be repaired tears in several places. A label attached to the backing board confirms the painting was restored in 1974 by the Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory.”

“There is nothing comparable to this painting in existence as it was painted in his lifetime and was a painting that he sat for on multiple occasions,” Rhyanon Demery, head of sale, told TOI.

The auction is scheduled from July 7 to 15.