Upcoming auction in London shines the spotlight on colonial-era art in India

"A Great Indian Fruit Bat Or Flying Fox" by Bhawani Das will go up for auction at Sotheby's London next month. Photo: AFP

Little-known artists such as Shaykh Zayn al-Din and Bhawani Das will return to the spotlight this fall as part of a major auction at Sotheby's in London. The sale offers art collectors an opportunity to delve into the paintings of the British East India Company.

As the British East India Company expanded its operations in India in the late 18th century, many of its employees left England to build new lives in the Asian country. Many of them became patrons of culture, giving rise to the Company School of Painting.