Santhal Pat or Story Scroll

Central figure carries two baskets on a yoke, circled by women with pots on their heads.

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 paintings are made with natural pigments on paper or cloth, and their scenes are arranged in sequence so that a story can be followed panel by panel. A green-faced central figure in a patterned skirt carries a shoulder pole with two hanging pots, among women balancing jars on their heads. Seven or so figures fill the lower rows. It is 7.6 inches wide and 11.5 deep.

A load carried gracefully and in perfect rhythm.