Akbar’s atelier and the early Mughal workshop produced many manuscripts and paintings. Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Govardhan and Miskin — celebrated for visuals of court scenes
Option (1) Razm Nama — Persian translation of the Ramayana — Incorrect. The Razm Nama is the Persian version of the Mahabharata. The Ramayana was translated and illustrated separately, around the same time.
Option (2) Daswant — supervised the Hamza Nama — Incorrect. Daswant supervised the Razm Nama. The Hamza Nama was supervised by the Persian masters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd us Samad.
Option (3) Govardhan and Miskin — celebrated for visuals of court scenes — Correct. Govardhan and Miskin were celebrated for their visuals of court scenes in Akbar’s atelier.
Option (4) Bichitra — Princes of the House of Timur — Incorrect. Princes of the House of Timur is probably by Abd us Samad. Bichitra was a court painter of Jahangir, who painted Jahangir enthroned on an Hourglass.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Mughal School of Miniature Painting Akbar envisioned cultural integration and commissioned translation of several revered Hindu texts. He commissioned translation and illustration of revered Sanskrit texts into Persian. The Persian translation and illustrated version of the Hindu epic Mahabharata done this period came to be known as Razm Nama. This was completed in 1589 under the supervision of master artist Daswant. This manuscript was scribed in ornate calligraphy and contained 169 paintings. The translation and illustration of the Ramayana were also carried out around this time. Artists like Govardhan and Miskin were celebrated for their visuals of court scenes.” “The Mughal School of Miniature Painting …The painted folios of Hamza Nama are scattered all over the world and housed in various collections. It is recorded to have consisted of 14 volumes with 1400 illustrations and took nearly 15 years to be completed. The suggested date of this magnificent project is 1567–1582 and was completed under the supervision of two Persian masters — Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd us Samad.” “The Mughal School of Miniature Painting …When we look at an extraordinary Mughal painting from the early period, Princes of the House of Timur (1545–50), probably by Safavid artist, Abd us Samad, in opaque watercolour on cotton, we are surprised by its size and complex structure and display of historical portraits.” |