Ustad Mansur painted a zebra presented to Jahangir. What was added to this painting in Shah Jahan’s reign?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Ornate borders
Option (1) Jahangir’s note on it in Persian — Incorrect. Jahangir himself wrote on the painting in Persian, calling the animal a mule brought from Ethiopia. This was done in his own reign.
Option (2) Ornate borders — Correct. The ornate borders were added in Shah Jahan’s reign, after the painting came into his possession.
Option (3) Persian calligraphy in verse at the top and bottom — Incorrect. Persian calligraphy in verse adorns the top and bottom of Jahangir enthroned on an Hourglass, not the zebra painting.
Option (4) A golden halo held by two winged angels — Incorrect. The golden halo held by two winged angels is in Jahangir’s Dream by Abul Hasan.
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): “Zebra …Jahangir wrote on the painting in Persian, the court language, that it was: “A mule which the Turks (rumiyan) in the company of Mir Ja’far had brought from Ethiopia [Habesha]”. Its likeness was drawn by Nadir ul asr (Wonder of the Age) Ustad Mansur. …The painting later came in Emperor Shah Jahan’s possession. It was added to the royal album of paintings and calligraphies. The ornate borders of the painting are additions made in Shah Jahan’s reign.”
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