Dated 1970 AD. An inked sketch on beige-washed card of a nude female reclining on a rectangular rug, the body adorned with the same pattern of hatched patches as appears on the rug; the head tilted back and the solid shading of the hair forming the only substantial element in the design, supplied within a black card reveal; middle top attributed to F. N. Souza, 1970. 123 grams total, 50.8 x 38.8cm including mount (20 x 15 1/4"). Personal collection of Harmadar Singh Thind; thence by descent. Private family collection of a West London gentleman. British Asian artist Francis Newton Souza (12 April 1924–28 March 2002) was a founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group of Bombay. He studied at the Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai but was expelled in 1945, having pulled down a Union Flag during a ceremony; he also supported the Quit India Movement of which the aim was to encourage the British authorities to leave the subcontinent, and joined themunist Party of India. In 1948, some of his paintings were shown in London as part of an exhibition on Indian art while his work was under attack from his own Goanmunity in Mumbai. Souza emigrated to London the following year afterplaints against him were made to the police for obscenity. He is acknowledged to have inspired his protégé, M.F. Hain. Souza's career developed so that he participated in several shows, receiving positive reviews from the art world. [No Reserve]