Untitled (Portrait of a Parsi Lady)

Often referred to as India’s Rembrandt for the unflattering realism of his portraits, Pestonji Bomanji was perhaps one of the most popular portrait artists of his time. He was a Parsi and his portraiture work was largely confined to painting members of his community as is the case with this oil. In doing so, however, he inadvertently created an ethnographic record of the Parsis—it is evident in the details of attire of the lady in this picture. Of special note is the embroidery on her saree border and blouse, which is the historically significant Gara embroidery associated with the sarees worn by Parsi women well into the first half of the twentieth century.