Mughal painting reached its zenith under

Mughal painting developed from the Persian artists who accompanied Humayun and expanded into an organized imperial atelier under Akbar, with master-painters like Daswanth and Basawan contributing to large illustrated projects [1]. While Akbar institutionalized the workshop and established stylistic foundations, it was Jahangir who refined and brought the art to its zenith through intense personal patronage and an emphasis on portraiture, studies of animals and naturalistic detail — qualities that mark the high point of Mughal miniature painting [1]. Later rulers like Shah Jahan favored architecture, so the peak period for Mughal painting is conventionally placed in Jahangir’s reign.

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > Paintings > p. 218
2. [2] https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/82891/3/Theme-5.pdf