In the medieval period, with what kind of paintings were the walls of a patron’s mansions often decorated?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → With mural paintings
Option (1) With miniature paintings — Incorrect. Miniatures were hand-held and seen from close by. They were never meant to be put up on the walls.
Option (2) With manuscript illustrations — Incorrect. These paintings carried the verses of texts and were made in thematic sets of loose folios. They were not wall decoration.
Option (3) With mural paintings — Correct. The walls of a patron’s mansions were often decorated with mural paintings.
Option (4) With palm leaf paintings — Incorrect. Early Jain paintings were done on palm leaves, fastened together as manuscripts. They were not put up on walls.
Note: This topic was not named in the CUET 2026 syllabus, but it was part of the NCERT chapter. In 2025 and 2026, NTA also asked questions on topics in NCERT that the CUET syllabus did not name. So our mocks have questions from every part of the NCERT chapter, to give you enough practice. Read the whole chapter, not only the sub-topics named in the syllabus.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Manuscript Painting Tradition …Paintings from the medieval period have earned a generic name, for example miniature paintings, owing to their relatively smaller size. These miniature paintings were hand-held and observed from a closer distance due to their minutiae. The walls of a patron’s mansions were often decorated with mural paintings. Hence, these miniatures were never intended to be put up on the walls.” |