A very attractive and large portrait of a Governor of Bombay, possibly of Parsi heritage, apparently executed by a local Indian artist. The large verandah on which the subject is seated features some classical western architectural features, including the column and balcony railing. These features paired with the silk embroidered robes and multiple strands of beaded jewellery of the subject signify that the sitter was of high rank and likely governor of the region and land that is disproportionately seen behind him as a vast and luscious landscape. The scene is rather unusually set at night-time with the light of the moon and stars shining against a darkened sky to create a very atmospheric and captivating image.

Large painting on board signed 'Punir Shabab Bombay' (signed in lower left-hand corner), gouache on thick board, depicting an elegantly robed gentleman seated on an open terrace, with a moon-lit countryside and winding river in the background with stars illuminating the sky, 600 x 440 mm; some light water-staining and a small section of the top-left corner chipped with loss, rubbed and darkened (as often); reverse blank, in modern frame, glazed.