Pestonji Bomanji (1851–1938) was one of the most notable portrait painters of the early 20th century, a time when the craft was largely dictated by the training that was disseminated by European institutions in India. Bomanji was enrolled in the J J School of Art under principal John Griffiths. In 1872, Griffiths appointed Bomanji as a draughtsman to copy the Ajanta cave paintings along with a team sent by the School. Following the excursion, the artist was initiated into portrait painting when he was recommended to Valentine Prinsep, British painter of the Pre-Raphaelite school, by his art teacher in 1877. (Partha Mitter, Art and Nationalism in Colonial India: Occidental Orientations, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 81 - 82)
The patronage, at the time when Bomanji began practising, expanded from private commissions to an interest from a larger audience, making exhibitions an important space for artists to gain exposure. Encouraged to participate in exhibitions, he regularly displayed his work at Madras, Pune, and Calcutta, and was awarded many prizes such as the Governor's Gold Medal, as well as saw success in the International Exhibition (1883-84) in Calcutta. Although Bomanji is most known for his skillful portraits which were often allegorical and referenced to Indic traditions, he mastered naturalistic academic rendering in the genre of landscape as well.
Bomanji’s cultivated skill is testament to his position as an important modern Indian artist: “Far from being merely the first portrait painter produced by the JJ School of Art, Bomanji was a foundational presence and deserves to be set beside Raja Ravi Varma in the history of modern Indian art.” (Nancy Adajania and Ranjit Hoskote, “What does it mean to be Parsi? An art exhibition provides an answer”, Scroll, 26 April 2016, online)