The Italian who is at home in the Rashtrapati Bhavan

Last week, when Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni visited India, he expressed his desire to view the art work of Italian painter Tomasso Colonnello on the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s ceiling. Here’s a ready reckoner of the artist and his work.

Adorning the ceiling of the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Ashoka Hall, the painting depicts Fath Ali Shah, the second of seven Qajar rulers of Persia, hunting a tiger with his 22 sons. During Lord Irwin’s tenure, this piece of art was brought from London’s India Office Library and affixed on the ceiling of the State Ballroom, as it was then known.

However, it is believed that Lady Willingdon did not appreciate the fact that the painting was put in isolation and hence called for the Italian artist Tomasso Colonnello to enhance it.

With the help of twelve Indian artists, Colonnello extended the central forest theme on the rest of the surface. Four more hunting scenes along with inscriptions in Persian were added to beautify the ceiling. The walls of the hall portray a royal procession. Painting on the walls and ceiling was started in June 1932 and was completed in October 1933.​


Adorning the ceiling of the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Ashoka Hall, the painting depicts Fath Ali Shah, the second of seven Qajar rulers of Persia, hunting a tiger with his 22 sons. (Image: Facebook/President Ram Nath Kovind)

While not much is known about the artist, some say Colonnello’s family lived in India for almost 80 years, working as suppliers for the Italian merchant navy. When called upon to extend the work, the Italian artist is said to have left his signature at an “odd place” — beneath the front legs of an elephant.

The Ashoka Hall, huge and artistically done up, is now used for important ceremonial functions. It is also used for presentation of credentials by Heads of Missions of foreign countries and as a formal place of introductions for the visiting and Indian delegations prior to the commencement of the State Banquets hosted by the President.