The famous Mughal painter Basawan, known for his realistic portraits and lively compositions, worked mainly during the reign of:

Basawan (Basavan) was one of the most famous painters of the Mughal court, and worked mainly during the reign of Akbar (1556-1605).

About Basawan:

• He was a Hindu painter, who joined Akbar's imperial workshop (karkhana) as a young man.
• He was trained in the workshop under the Persian masters who led the Mughal school.
• Abul Fazl praised him highly in the Ain-i-Akbari, saying that he excelled in drawing, composition, portrait-painting and colouring.
• He was famous for his realistic portraits, his ability to show depth and space, and his lively depiction of people and crowds.
• He was influenced by European paintings and prints brought to the court by Jesuit missionaries, and used techniques such as shading and perspective.

His works:

• He contributed to several illustrated manuscripts of Akbar's time, including the "Hamzanama", the "Razmnama" (the Persian Mahabharata), the "Akbarnama", the "Darabnama" and the "Baburnama".
• He often designed the composition of a painting, which was then coloured by other artists, as was common in the workshop.
• His son, Manohar, also became a famous painter at the courts of Akbar and Jahangir.

Painting under Akbar:

• Akbar set up a large imperial painting workshop, employing more than 100 painters, most of them Hindus.
• NCERT notes that Akbar's court painters, including Basawan and Daswanth, produced illustrated manuscripts of histories, epics and literature.
• The paintings were made in teams: one painter drew the outline, another added colour, and another painted the faces.
• Akbar himself examined the works of the painters every week and rewarded them.

Daswanth:

• He was the son of a palanquin bearer, and rose to be one of the leading painters of the workshop.
• He suffered from mental illness and died in 1584.

Later Mughal painting:

• Mughal painting reached its peak under Jahangir, with painters such as Abul Hasan, Ustad Mansur and Bishandas.
• Under Shah Jahan, it became more formal.
• Aurangzeb did not patronise painting much.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Babur, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb ruled at other times.