Three of the following paintings belong to the period of Akbar. Which one is the odd one out?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The Marriage Procession of Dara Shikoh
Option (1) Spies Attack the City of Kaymar — Of Akbar’s period. It is a Hamza Nama painting, from the earliest project carried out under Akbar’s patronage.
Option (2) Madonna and Child — Of Akbar’s period. It is an early Mughal work from the time the Europeans were in contact with the court of Akbar.
Option (3) Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan — Of Akbar’s period. It comes from a Harivamsa Purana that Badauni, a noble in Akbar’s court, translated into Persian. It is attributed to Miskin.
Option (4) The Marriage Procession of Dara Shikoh — Correct. This work by Haji Madni belongs to the period of Shah Jahan, not Akbar.
NCERT (2026-27): “Early Mughal Painting …Akbar, believed to be suffering from dyslexia (a condition where a person finds difficulty in reading), laid great emphasis on illustration of manuscripts. It was under his patronage that several seminal projects of translation and illustration of manuscripts were carried out. The earliest of his projects is the continuation of his father’s artistic legacy of Hamza Nama, an illustrated account of the heroic deeds of Hamza, the uncle of Prophet Muhammad. … In Hamza Nama painting, Spies Attack the City of Kaymar (1567–82), the space is sharply cut and divided so as to facilitate visual reading of the narrative.” “Early Mughal Painting …In most of the paintings, produced from the time that the Europeans were in contact with the court of Akbar, we can see an increasing preference for a category of naturalism adapted to compliment the growing diversity in medieval India. Madonna and Child (1580) done in opaque watercolour on paper is an important early work of the Mughal School of Painting in this context.” “Krishna lifts Mount Govardhan Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan from a dispersed Harivamsa Purana is attributed to Miskin (1585–90). … Badauni, a scholar noble in the court of Akbar, was assigned the job of translating this volume on Lord Krishna into Persian.” “The Marriage Procession of Dara Shikoh This painting, a work by artist Haji Madni, belongs to the period of Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in Agra. It is a portrayal of the marriage procession of Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.” |