An exhibition of Parsi portraits in Ahmedabad
from the collection of Anil Relia was the result of
his admiration for the community
Farrokh Jijina
Portraits are not about a person… they are about a generation… they talk to me about the period in which they are set,” said Ahmedabad-based graphic artist and art collector Anil Relia on December 3, 2018, a day before the opening of an exhibition of some Parsi-themed works from his collection. "The shape of the beards and moustaches of the sitters, the props and jewelry used all tell us so much about the period and ambience in which it is set.” Over 100 paintings, photographs, prints and collectibles of Relia’s were on display at "A Parsi delight,” held between December 4 and 9 at the Herwitz Gallery of Amdavad ni Gufa (The cave of Ahmedabad) in the Gujarat capital. "I never sell anything I have acquired,” Relia said over the phone about the "approximately 4,000 portraits in different genres” that he has collected over the last 25 years.
A boy from an affluent family; artist unknown
While his previous eight exhibitions were themed by eras and painting styles, this was the first curated around a community. The show had five segments: paintings by Indian artists; works of English or Chinese painters; artist Raja Ravi Varma-influenced paintings and prints; works by the early graduates of the Sir J. J. School of Arts including Manchershaw Pithawala, Pestonji Bomanji and Jehangir Lalkaka. The last segment featured collectibles like lockets, pocket watches, vases and busts.
The oldest image on display was that of Rustom and Sorab from the late Safavid period, circa 1620, the collector stated. He acquired the painting from a Jaipur dealer "who thought it was a Mughal miniature.” The collector’s discussions with USA based art historian and expert on Persian paintings Julian Roberts confirmed that the image was by pupils of Isfahan-based painter Reza Abbasi’s school.
A 40”x50” oil painting on canvas of master ship builder Jehangir Nowrojee (Wadia) with steamboat agent Oliver Miller White is a favorite of Relia. The artist William Henry Baker "had the habit of putting his signature in an inconspicuous position in his works.” Relia discovered Baker’s name inscribed on a paper depicted in the portrait on a table at which Wadia and White are seated. Communication with curators in the Louisiana State Museum in the USA that has a collection of Baker’s work confirmed that the artist was a friend of White who "presented the portrait to Wadia as a gesture of their friendship,” said Relia.
A portrait by noted Malayali painter Varma dating to 1890 is of Sunabai Nariman, wife of the founder of the Parsi Lying-In Hospital Sir Tehmuljee. She is standing in a pink sari with a black border looking at her viewers with a somewhat steely gaze. The portrait was commissioned by friends of the couple who presented it to Sunabai to "celebrate the services she offered to the Hospital,” notes the exhibition catalog. Another portrait painted in the same year as Sunabai by Varma is of an unknown girl with her head covered by an embroidered cap. The portrait is "impressive for the depth of skin colored tones used,” notes the catalog. Two other portraits on display attributed to Varma were of Bharuch councilor Dinshaw Ginwalla, and David Sassoon and Company director Naoroji Wadia.
1. Terracotta figurine; 2. Sir Cowasjee Jehangir, artist unknown; 3. Educationist Edalji Dorabji Talati,
by Eruchshaw Pestonji; 4. Shipbuilder Jehangir Nowrojee with steamboat agent Oliver Miller White,
by William Henry Baker; 5. Unidentified Parsi girl, by Raja Ravi Varma
6. Shirinbai and Homee Framroze Punthakey, photographer S. Hormusjee; 7. Dhan, Ferry and
mother of Ruby, photographer J. S. Taraporewala; 8. Jerbai Nusherwanji Wadia, unknown artist of
The Bombay Photo Co; 9. The Parsi travellers [(from l) standing: Prof Rehotzek, Rustomji Fakirji,
Mancherji Narialwala, Ardesir Moos, C. N. Cama; seated: Bhow Daji Lad, K. R. Cama], engraving
by Vincent Brooks, Day and Son; 10. Unidentified Parsi family, photographer J. S. Taraporewala
In a portrait of Dastur Kaikhushru Darab (1796-1868) by a Chinese artist, the Shahenshahi High Priest of Surat looks out benignly from his frame, his arm resting on a table covered with a red table cloth and decorated with a flower vase and two books. Dinbai Nusserwanji Petit (1831-1898) was the subject of a 1917 charcoal drawing on an enlarged photograph attributed to Lalkaka, executed from a smaller photo the family gave the artist, said Relia. Father-son duo of painters Manchershaw and Sorab Pithawala are credited with five of the paintings displayed: the senior Pithawala portrayed members of the Modi family of Surat and the Daboos of Navsari. Sorab portrayed his parents in oils a few years later. An 1880 oil on canvas of Dinbai Petit by E. A. Tachakura, also part of his collection, was not on display, he said.
Also on display were Raja Deen Dayal’s photographs of industrialist Jamsetji Tata, and another of an unknown boy from Indore on a carte-de-visite (albumen prints that could be used for greetings or as visiting cards). Forty-three tinted lithographs by a "studio artist of (the erstwhile) The Kaiser-I-Hind (weekly)” included images of British governors, dasturs, prominent Parsis, maharajas along with an image of the proprietor and editor Framjee Mehta on the last page. The images were part of a folio that was intended as a gift for subscribers, notes the catalog.
"Stupendously curated, well researched and very nicely labelled exhibition,” was the impression that Ahmedabad businessman Oorvaksh Medora came away with. "The people were in awe...and left with great memories.” Ahmedabad resident Nishmin Marshall said she was particularly impressed by the cardboard mounted photos with different backdrops of tables, tall stands and grand old chairs. The display took her "back in time to a different era, bringing to life stories long forgotten... An enriching realization of what our community was during the old days.”
The attractive 4.5” x 6.5” 160-page exhibition catalog showed about 150 Parsi-themed items from Relia’s collection of about 400 Parsi portraits and collectibles. The cover depicts a stylized image of a boy in a western suit and topi standing near steps leading to a verandah. He is looking somewhat defiantly at an unknown artist who painted him circa 1920 in oil on canvas. Relia says he acquired the painting about three years ago from a Bombay-based dealer, who did not know the artist’s name. "Probably from an affluent family,” said Relia of the subject.
Top: Anil Relia (extreme r), Noshir and Dhan Anklesaria, Tanuja Relia (1st, 2nd, 3rd from l) at inaugural;
2nd row: Anil Relia with portrait of Rustomji Dalal; 3rd row: Radhika Sanghvi (l) and Tanuja Relia;
4th row: Ishani (l) and Manan Relia; above (r) guests at show opening: "enriching realization"
The Introduction to the well produced and compact sized catlog is by freelance writer Shalvi Agarvwal. There are, however, a few inaccuracies and lack of detail. The father of educationist and founder of the Alexandra Girls’ English Institution Manockjee Cursetjee is named as Manekjee Cursetjee while the name was Cursetjee Manockjee. Sakerbai, wife of Sir Dinshaw Manekjee Petit is referred to as Sanaya. We are told Khan Bahadur Dadabhai Dubash was "an interpreter of two languages — Parsi and Chinese.” Zarathushtra’s cloak is said to be "fastened with a ‘Khvarenah,’ representing divine glory.” According to two mobeds, the word for the fastener is "pichori.” "Khvarenah,” could be a variant of "khoreh” or divine light. We are told that the surname Dittia was adopted by one family "under peculiar circumstances,” but these are not explained.
Relishing and embracing
Preparation for the show began two years ago and required Relia to travel to Surat, Udhna, Navsari, Poona and other places to meet art dealers, owners and descendants of the sitters. Identifying the subjects of some of the Parsi portraits "was a challenge sometimes,” he said. Yesteryear’s tradition of naming male children after their grandfather compounded the difficulty of identifying subjects. "This… created a complexity for me as curator, which left me trying to balance a generation gap of 50-60 years,” he wrote in the Collector’s Note in the catalog. He took it in his stride and "started relishing and embracing it.”
Sixty-one-year-old Relia’s acquisitive nature manifested itself when he was young: "I used to collect labels of any and every kind when I was in school… scrap markets were my favorite places,” he noted. His fascination with Parsis began when as a youngster in Surat, he would cycle past community homes in the Shahpore area of that city. "The smells, everyday rangoli, half-closed curtains, neat and clean environment would draw me close to them,” he told us. The bond was further strengthened when he moved to Ahmedabad and got better acquainted with neighbors Dhan and Noshir Anklesaria. He started to see interesting details in their language, lifestyle and nature and also their sensitivity. The Anklesarias were guests of honor at the opening of the exhibition, and lit the ceremonial lamp to flag it off, as did social worker Meher Medora. "The Anklesarias have made me a fan of Parsi food,” he quipped. As an aside, Relia mentioned that the dar-ni-pori served at the opening attended by 350 people was much appreciated.
Among the first works acquired by the collector was a portrait of a Parsi gentleman "bought without knowing who the sitter was.” Later investigations proved him to be Nusservanji Vakil, whose statue stands in the Shahpore area of Surat. "I was amazed when a Parsi friend took me there much later to ‘meet’ Vakil,” the collector exulted.
"Each of my previous eight exhibitions has been centered on a theme around human figures,” stated Relia. His first major one was in 2010, on the journey of portraiture from miniatures to the present day. Other themes have included paintings from the royal courts of Rajasthan (2016), painted photographs (2015), the colonial influence on Varma and his contemporaries (2014) and Mughal art (2014). All previous catalogs are available complimentary online at his personal website www.theindianportrait.com.
A graduate from the faculty of fine arts of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, Relia started a screen printing unit that he named Archer in Ahmedabad in 1979. "Archer was the name I had given my final year design project in college,” he revealed. Over the years, he has worked with big names of the Indian art world for their graphic printing needs: M. F. Husain, S. H. Raza, Manjit Bawa and Amit Ambalal, reads the exhibition catalog. "It was Husain who motivated me to venture into the publication of limited edition images of paintings in collaboration with contemporary artists.” Married to Tanuja, Anil explains that son Manan looks after the day-to-day running of Archer, now called Archer Art Gallery, which showcases modern and contemporary Indian art. Daughter Radhika Sanghvi is a sculptor.
"Do not make snap decisions while acquiring art works,” Relia advises potential collectors. "Look around carefully, be aware of the possibility of fakes, get expert opinion… Concentrate on one aspect of art… do not spread yourself too thin… focus only on one or two genres or a few artists,” he said.