What is the significance of the colophon page in a set of folio pages for manuscript illustrations?

1) It contains decorative artwork

2) It provides information about the paintings' themes

3) It furnishes details about the patron, artist, date, and place of commission or completion

4) It showcases the most important painting in the set

3

Answer: It furnishes details about the patron, artist, date, and place of commission or completion
The colophon page in a set of folio-pages provides essential details such as the patron's name, artist or scribe, date, and place of commission or completion.

The most important folio-page of the set would be the colophon page, which would furnish information regarding the names of the patron, artist or scribe, date and place of commission or completion of the work, and other such important details. However, due to ravages of time, the colophon pages have often gone missing, compelling scholars to attribute missing particulars on the basis of their expertise. Being fragile pieces of artworks, paintings are susceptible to mishandling, fire, humidity, and other such calamities and disasters. Considered as precious and valuable artifacts and also being portable, paintings were often gifted to princesses as part of their dowries when they got married. They were also exchanged as gifts between kings and courtiers as acts of gratitude and traded to distant places. Paintings also travelled to remote regions with moving pilgrims, monks, adventurers, traders and professional narrators. Thus, for instance, one would find a Mewar painting with the Bundi king and vice versa.