Indian and Himalayan Art Naramedha Pata (Narrative Scroll) Made in Bandarpur, West Bengal, India, Asia1916 Durlav Chitrakara, Indian, active early 20th century Opaque watercolor on cloth-backed paper Currently not on view 1964-169-1a,b Gift of Stella Kramrisch, 1964 |
LabelIn Bengal, professional minstrel-painters (called patuas) paint scrolls (known as patas) that depict popular stories in a vertical sequence of illustrations. Patuas use these scrolls to accompany their songs, which are composed of couplets. Each couplet describes an episode in the story and corresponds to an individual illustration. As the song unfolds, the patua unrolls the scroll to reveal the appropriate picture and holds it up for his audience to see. As they have for centuries, patuas today travel from place to place, entertaining audiences in the courtyard of a temple, school, large home, or even under the shade of a tree. |
