In Mughal painting, what was used to burnish a completed painting to set its colours and give it radiance?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Agate
Option (1) Ground shells — Incorrect. Shells were ground to make white colour. They were not used to burnish the work.
Option (2) Agate — Correct. Agate, a gemstone, was rubbed over the finished painting. This set the colours and gave it radiance.
Option (3) Charcoal — Incorrect. Charcoal gave lampblack, a colour, not a burnishing tool.
Option (4) Gold powder — Incorrect. Gold powder was mixed with colours or sprinkled to add extravagance.
NCERT (2026-27): “Colours and Technique of Mughal Painting …Once the painting was complete, agate, a gemstone, was used to burnish the work to set the colours and give desired radiance to the painting. Some of the pigments and colours achieved from those were — vermilion from cinnabar, ultramarine from Lapiz Lazuli, bright yellow from orpiment, shells grounded for making white and lampblack from charcoal. Gold and silver powders were mixed with colours or sprinkled to add extravagance to a painting.” |