Ritual Eye-Bestowing Painting (Chakshudana Pata) of a Deceased Woman

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Ritual Eye-Bestowing Painting (Chakshudana Pata) of a Deceased Woman

c. 1925-1950

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

The Santal tribes spread across eastern India and are served by itinerant magician-painters who, although not Santal themselves, depict the stories of the Santals on narrative scrolls. When a death occurs in a Santal community, they visit the mourner with paintings of women, men, and children, each lacking a pupil in its eye. After selecting the appropriate image for the deceased, they ritually paint in the pupil and so deliver the soul from wandering blindly in the afterworld. Jamini Roy and other urban artists of the Bengal School drew imagery and inspiration from such local folk arts.

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Object Details

Title:

Ritual Eye-Bestowing Painting (Chakshudana Pata) of a Deceased Woman

Date:

c. 1925-1950

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 9 9/16 × 7 7/8 inches (24.3 × 20 cm) Sheet: 11 × 9 1/8 inches (27.9 × 23.2 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Stella Kramrisch, 1968

Accession Number:

1968-184-20

Geography:

Made in West Bengal, Bengal Region, India, Asia Probably made in Bankura, West Bengal, Bengal Region, India, Asia

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