Abul Fazal, the court historian of Akbar, wrote about Akbar’s passion for arts. According to him, which artists were employed in Akbar’s royal atelier?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Persian and indigenous Indian artists
Option (1) Persian and indigenous Indian artists — Correct. Abul Fazal records more than a hundred artists in the atelier: the most skilled Persian and indigenous Indian artists of the time.
Option (2) Persian and Ottoman artists — Incorrect. He names no Ottoman artists. A figure resembling the Ottoman Sultan appears only in a later painting of Jahangir’s time.
Option (3) Indigenous Indian and European artists — Incorrect. He speaks of Persian, not European, artists beside the Indian ones. European works reached the court later, as gifts from the Europeans to Jahangir.
Option (4) Persian and European artists — Incorrect. This leaves out the indigenous Indian artists, who worked beside the Persian masters and formed an Indo-Persian group.
NCERT (2026-27): “The tradition and fascination for painting started by Humayun was carried forward by his illustrious son Akbar (1556–1605). Abul Fazal, the court historian of Akbar, writes about Akbar’s passion for arts. He records that more than a hundred artists were employed in the royal atelier. This included the most skilled Persian and indigenous Indian artists of that time. This integrated composition of Indo-Persian artists led to the development of a unique style in this period.…” |