RAS question
The Salar Jung-style 'Miniature painting on ivory' was practiced in which Rajasthan center?
Correct answer: (B) Jaipur.
Jaipur was a Rajasthan centre where miniature painting on an ivory base was practised.
Explanation
Jaipur is the right option because it was a recognised Rajasthan centre for work on ivory, including miniature paintings on an ivory base. The TRAFFIC India assessment says this category of finished ivory product was found only in Jaipur and Udaipur, and adds that miniature painting began in princely courts. Under Kachhwaha patronage, Jaipur developed fine miniature work on small ivory sheets, using very fine brushes for portraits and decorative scenes. Ivory was chosen as a base because its smooth surface, colour and translucent quality gave miniature painting a special finish that ordinary paper, silk or marble could not match.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Bikaner is associated here with Usta art, while the ivory-base miniature-painting evidence points to Jaipur and Udaipur, not Bikaner.
- (C) Kota has its own painting school, but the question asks specifically about miniature painting on an ivory base, for which Jaipur is the matching Rajasthan centre among the options.
- (D) Jodhpur is not supported as the centre for this ivory-base miniature-painting practice; Jaipur is.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan art and culture through the link between court patronage, painting centres and specialised craft media. It recurs in RAS because examiners often ask centres of craft traditions, not just broad painting-school names.