Santhal Pat or Story Scroll

Woman in a long skirt holds two small figures above a herd of wide-eyed cattle.

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. A pat is a narrative scroll painting, and in eastern India such scrolls have traditionally been unrolled by a performer who sings the story as each panel is shown. A tall central woman with a long braid carries a child on each arm beneath leafy trees. Four cattle with round eyes stand below, and a small figure tumbles at the lower left. It is 7.75 inches wide and 11.5 deep.

Cows with opinions and a mother with her hands full.