Which of the following art forms were patronized by the Mughals?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Bookmaking
The Mughals were patrons of many art forms. Each emperor, by his own taste, raised the status of calligraphy, painting, architecture, bookmaking and book illustration projects.
Option (1) Installation — Incorrect. Installation is an art form of our own times. It came up in India only from the 1990s, with artists like Nalini Malani and Vivan Sundaram.
Option (2) Graphic Art — Incorrect. Graphic art means prints made from plates, such as etchings and linocuts. In India it belongs to modern artists like Chittoprasad and Somnath Hore.
Option (3) Bookmaking — Correct. Books were written, illustrated and bound in the royal ateliers, and the Mughals took keen interest in this work.
Option (4) Sculpture — Incorrect. Sculpture means carved or cast figures in stone, metal or wood. The Mughal emperors are known as patrons of calligraphy, painting, architecture, bookmaking and book illustration; sculpture is not among these art forms.
NCERT (2026-27): “…The Mughals were patrons of various art forms. Every Mughal successor, based on his taste and preferences, contributed towards enhancing the status of art, viz., calligraphy, painting, architecture, bookmaking, book illustration projects, etc. They took keen interest in artists’ ateliers and nurtured unprecedented new styles that heightened and accelerated the existing art scenario of India.…” |