Before the arrival of British, the art in India primarily served which of the following purposes?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Decoration and Manuscript Illustration
Before the British came, art in India served a different purpose. It was found as statues on temple walls, as miniature paintings that illustrated manuscripts and as decoration on the walls of mud houses in villages.
Option (1) Realistic Representation — Incorrect. Painting the world as it looks came with European art. Company painters learnt close observation only under their new British patrons.
Option (2) Academic Study and Museum Display — Incorrect. Art schools and their academic style were set up by the British, in the colonial period.
Option (3) Decoration and Manuscript Illustration — Correct. Manuscripts were illustrated with miniatures, and walls of temples and village houses were decorated.
Option (4) Commercial Art for Export — Incorrect. Albums made for buyers in Britain belong to the Company School, which grew under colonial rule.
NCERT (2026-27): “Company Painting Art in India had a different purpose prior to the coming of the British. It could be seen as statues on temple walls, miniature paintings that often illustrated manuscripts, decoration on the walls of mud houses in villages, among many other examples.…” |