The painting is currently at a private collection.
Location History:
The painting was created in Mumbai,Maharashtra,India in 1920 and was later brought to Christie's,New York,USA on March 31,2005 for an auction.
Mancherial Fakirjee Pithawalla was an Indian artist of the early 20th century. He was born in Surat and was later taken as a student at J J Scool of Art in Bombay by it's principal John Griffiths. His painting style includes oil paint and watercolours.
This painting by him depicts a realistic portrait of a woman leaning on a wooden table,her hands are gently folded near her face reflecting a calm pose. The woman can be seen wearing a white blouse and beautiful deatiled saree draped around her and simple yet elegant and detailed jewellery like bangles and earrings.
Pithawalla has portrayed the calm of the woman realistically in this painting. Her undeviating gaze ,gentle facial features create quiet confidence. Pithawalla has paid deep attention to the folds of the saree,texture of the jewellery she's wearing and a hint of light on her clothes and face. The dark background without any specific point of attraction keeps the viewers gaze on the woman ratger than distracting to the backdrop.
This work shows Pithawalla's masterful skills of making paintings look realistic.
The painting portrays more than the physical appearance of a Parsi woman; it reflects dignity, confidence, and cultural identity. Her calm expression, composed posture, and elegant attire suggest grace and quiet strength rather than outward display of wealth. The artist's realistic rendering of the saree, jewellery, facial features, and lighting demonstrates his mastery of academic realism while emphasizing the individuality of the sitter. The dark, uncluttered background directs the viewer's attention entirely to the woman, allowing her personality and presence to become the focal point. To me, the artwork represents the respect and social standing of the Parsi community in early twentieth-century Bombay, while also celebrating the timeless beauty and character of its subject. It evokes a sense of serenity, refinement, and enduring cultural heritage.
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By: Sneha Sharma
This portrait of a Parsi lady was painted by Manchershaw Fakirjee Pithawalla in 1920 and he signed the work along with mentioning the date with his own hand in the corner. Pithawalla spent much of his career painting people from Bombay’s Parsi community, capturing merchants, lawyers, and their families in their finest clothes and jewellery. He was trained under a British teacher at the J.J. School of Art, and the training shows in his brushwork - smooth, careful, almost photographic in the way skin and fabric come alive on canvas. This closeness to European academic realism earned him comparisons to old masters like Velasquez. The lady’s expression in the portrait feels calm and composed, painted with real attention to light falling across her face and the folds of her clothing. The work does not appear to be made in rush. It has the quiet formality typical of portrait commissions from that era, when sitting for a painting was itself a mark of status.
