In the Mughal workshops, the making of a painting followed a set proc…

In the Mughal workshops, the making of a painting followed a set process. Consider the following statements about it:

(A) Painting in the workshops was a combined effort of a group of artists.
(B) Basic draft drawing, grinding and filling in of colours, and adding details were usually distributed among the artists.
(C) Agate, a gemstone, was used to grind the pigments into perfect shades.
(D) Mughal paintings were made on handmade paper prepared especially for this purpose.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (B) and (D) only

(A) Painting in the workshops was a combined effort of a group of artists. — Correct. Workshop painting was a combined effort of a group of artists.
(B) Basic draft drawing, grinding and filling in of colours, and adding details were usually distributed among the artists. — Correct. These tasks were usually distributed, though a painting could also be made single handedly.
(C) Agate, a gemstone, was used to grind the pigments into perfect shades. — Incorrect. Agate was used to burnish the finished work, to set the colours and give it radiance. The pigments were ground from natural sources.
(D) Mughal paintings were made on handmade paper prepared especially for this purpose. — Correct. The handmade paper was prepared especially for Mughal paintings.

NCERT (2026-27): “Colours and Technique of Mughal Painting …Mughal paintings were made on handmade paper, which was prepared especially for this purpose. The colours were opaque and were obtained from natural sources by grinding and mixing pigments to obtain perfect shades of colours. The paint was applied using a variety of brushes made with the hair of squirrels or kittens. In workshops, painting was a combined effort of a group of artists, among whom basic draft drawing, grinding and filling in of colours, and adding details were, usually, distributed. However, they may also have been produced single handedly.”

“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.”