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Q42 (IAS/2018) History & Culture › Art & Architecture › Indian painting traditions Official Key

The well-known painting "Bani Thani" belongs to the

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The Kishangarh school is best known for its Bani Thani paintings.[1] A portrait emerged from the court of Kishangarh, which elevated Kishangarh School to the best genre of painting, and this[2] celebrated maid is none other than Bani Thanni.[2] The distinctive and salient stylistic feature of the Kishangarh School is believed to have been derived from the attractively sharp facial features of Bani Thani.[3]

This masterpiece represents the pinnacle of the Kishangarh school of miniature painting, which flourished in Rajasthan. The painting depicts a court singer and is renowned for its characteristic features including elongated eyes, arched eyebrows, and a sharp nose. Therefore, the correct answer is option D - Kishangarh school.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.ncert.nic.in/pdf/publication/otherpublications/Unity_cultural.pdf
  2. [2] http://pmml.nic.in/static/pdfs/1703569699061Final_Report_Prof._Choodamani_Nandagopal_.pdf
  3. [3] http://pmml.nic.in/static/pdfs/1703569699061Final_Report_Prof._Choodamani_Nandagopal_.pdf
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. The well-known painting "Bani Thani" belongs to the [A] Bundi school [B] Jaipur school [C] Kangra school [D] Kishangarh school
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a quintessential 'Sitter' and a rank-decider. Although the automated scan flagged it as web-based, this is a direct lift from the NCERT Class XI Fine Arts textbook (Chapter: Rajasthani Schools). It represents the 'Indian Monalisa'—a fact so fundamental that missing it indicates a gap in basic static sources.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Which school of Indian miniature painting does the well-known painting "Bani Thani" belong to?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Kishangarh school is best known for its. Bani Thani paintings."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly names the Kishangarh school and links it directly to Bani Thani.
  • States that the Kishangarh school is best known for Bani Thani paintings, directly answering the question.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"one such portrait emerged from the court of Kishangarh, which elevated Kishangarh School to the best genre of painting. ... This celebrated maid is none other than Bani Thanni"
Why this source?
  • Describes a celebrated portrait emerging from the court of Kishangarh and identifies that portrait as Bani Thani.
  • Says the portrait elevated the Kishangarh School and that Bani Thani's portrait is a masterpiece of Indian miniature painting.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"which becomes the distinctive and salient stylistic feature of the Kishangarh School, is believed to have been derived from the attractively sharp facial features of Bani Thani."
Why this source?
  • Describes stylistic features of the Kishangarh School as being derived from the facial features of Bani Thani.
  • Directly ties Bani Thani to the Kishangarh School by explaining how her depiction became a distinctive Kishangarh physiognomy.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > Paintings > p. 218
Strength: 4/5
“The Mughals achieved international recognition in the field of painting. Mughal miniatures are an important part of the museums of the world. Ancient Indian painting traditions kept alive in provinces like Malwa and Gujarat, along with central Asian influences, created a deep impact in the world of painting. The masters of miniature painting, Abdu's Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali, who had come to India from Central Asia along with Humayun, inspired Indian painters. illustrated with paintings by various painters. Daswant and Basawan were famous painters of Akbar's court. European painting was introduced in Akbar's court by Portuguese priests. During Jahangir's time, portrait painting and the painting of animals had developed.”
Why relevant

Shows that Indian miniature painting is organised into regional/provincial traditions (Malwa, Gujarat) and influenced by incoming styles.

How to extend

A student could use this rule to look for the regional origin of 'Bani Thani' (e.g., identify which province or court produced it) to narrow candidate schools.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 4: India on the Eve of British Conquest > Developments in Art, Architecture and Culture > p. 78
Strength: 5/5
“The paintings of the Rajputana and Kangra schools became prominent and revealed new vitality and taste.”
Why relevant

Explicitly names Rajputana and Kangra as prominent schools of painting, indicating that named regional schools are the relevant classification for miniatures.

How to extend

A student could check whether 'Bani Thani' is associated with any named Rajputana sub-school (such as a princely court in Rajasthan) using a map or catalogue of Rajput schools.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 1: Sources for the History of Modern India > Painting > p. 11
Strength: 3/5
“Kalighat painting that came to the fore in Calcutta in the nineteenth century depicted not only mythological figures but also ordinary people engaged in their everyday lives. The latter pictures captured the social changes taking place in the Calcutta of the time. These paintings made a comment on social evils of the time; some of these paintings satirised certain modes adopted by the people of the time. In the last decades of the nineteenth century, a new art movement emerged which received its primary stimulus from the growing nationalism in India. Artists like Nandalal Bose and Raja Ravi Varma were representatives of this new trend.”
Why relevant

Gives an example (Kalighat) of a geographically named school linked to a city/region, reinforcing that schools are often tied to place and period.

How to extend

Use this pattern to test if 'Bani Thani' is similarly linked to a specific city/court (e.g., Kishangarh in Rajasthan) by comparing provenance information.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Painting > p. 98
Strength: 3/5
“The art of painting seems to have been in popular demand in the Gupta period than the art of stone sculptures. The mural paintings of this period are found at Ajanta, Bagh, Badami and other places. Ajantha Painting From the point of technique, the surface of these paintings was perhaps done in a very simple way. The mural paintings of Ajanta are not true frescoes, for frescoes is painted while the plaster is still damp and the murals of Ajanta were made after it had set. The art of Ajanta and Bagh shows the Madhyadesa School of painting at its best.”
Why relevant

Discusses another named school (Madhyadesa/Ajanta) and shows that stylistic and technical features are used to classify paintings into schools.

How to extend

A student could compare documented stylistic/technical features of 'Bani Thani' with those attributed to regional schools to see which fits best.

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