Santhal Pat or Story Scroll

Rows of figures march across a page, with eight-pointed flowers between them.

This painted pat or story scroll is Santhal, from Bihar / Jharkhand, Bihar, India, and dates to the 19th or mid 20th century. It is painted paper. Scroll painters of eastern India, sometimes called patua, have generally painted stories from myth, epic and community belief, and some scrolls were made for the Santhal and their neighbors. Eight-petal flower shapes and a vine border divide the rows, and small cone-shaped forms sit below. The edges are creased and yellowed. It is 8.25 inches wide and 12.75 deep.

A parade in ink, and no one is out of step.