The artist painted birds, animals and hundred variety of flowers from Kashmir Valley:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
Ustad Mansoor is correctly identified as the artist who meticulously painted the rich flora and fauna, including birds, animals, and an extensive variety of flowers, of the Kashmir Valley. Mansoor was the foremost natural history painter in the Mughal court, reaching his creative peak under Emperor Jahangir, who conferred upon him the title *Nadir-ul-Asr* (Wonder of the Age) for his unparalleled artistic realism. Jahangir's travel to the Kashmir Valley in 1620 was a seminal moment for Mughal naturalism, and Ustad Mansoor was part of the entourage tasked with documenting the unique local species. He rendered the diverse collection of over one hundred varieties of flowers with scientific accuracy and exquisite detail, elevating the genre of natural history painting to a high art form. His most famous works in this category, such as the *Red-blossomed Tulip* and the *Siberian Crane*, stand as masterpieces of documentation and aesthetic brilliance.

The incorrect option is 2:
Aka Riza was a prominent Persian-style painter who served Emperor Jahangir, but he was not the court's dedicated naturalist. He was known primarily for his contributions to manuscript illumination and early court portraiture, and he often worked on joint commissions. While he was a master painter, his specialisation lay in figure painting and composition, particularly in the Persian tradition, and not in the meticulous, detached naturalism required for the studies mentioned in the question. His style was less focused on the scientific rendering of individual species than on narrative and human subjects, making him distinct from Ustad Mansoor in this specific genre.

The incorrect option is 3:
Manohar Das was a gifted Mughal painter who served the courts of both Akbar and Jahangir. His main artistic niche was in painting court scenes, narrative compositions, and refined portraiture of the royal family and nobles. Although his work sometimes included animals and natural settings, the animals were typically part of a larger narrative or hunting scene. His focus was on court life and historical events, not the specialised, encyclopedic natural history and detailed flower studies that the question references, which are the hallmark of Ustad Mansoor.

The incorrect option is 4:
Bishandas, also known as Bishen Das, was universally acknowledged as the greatest portrait painter of Jahangir's court, a specialist known for his realism and ability to capture the psychological depth of his human subjects. Jahangir held him in such high regard that he sent Bishandas on a special mission to Persia to paint the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas I. Bishandas excelled at formal portraiture and group scenes, a completely different genre from the detailed, botanical and zoological studies. His expertise was in human figures, making him incorrect for a question about birds, animals, and flowers.