Ferdynand Bryll, painter, portraitist, conservator and illustrator, was born in 1863 in Kraków. During the period 1876–1884 he studied at the Kraków School of Fine Arts. In the course of his studies, in 1882, at the request of Jan Matejko, he assisted Henryk Rodakowski during his work on the frieze in the parliamentary chamber in Lviv. Even before his studies, he learned towards portrait painting at the studio of Andrzej Grabowski, which opened in Kraków in 1855.

The period of education at Grabowski’s studio strongly influenced the creative work of Bryll, who mainly painted portraits as a mature artist. During the period 1884–1903, he regularly showcased his portraits at exhibitions at the Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts. Portraits by Bryll can also be found at the National Museum in Kraków in Czapski’s collection, in the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków and the Museum of Art in Łódź.