Scroll Painting Dedicated to Pabuji, 20th century
Motilal Josiexpand_more
Mineral colors on canvasexpand_more
Gift of Jim Billings, Fifty Years of Friendshipexpand_more 2013.59
Not on Viewexpand_more
This painted scroll depicts the life of Pabuji, a deified folk hero who emerged in 14th century Rajasthan, India. The larger figurative representations feature Pabuji in profile, framed by multiple windows, while many of the complex scenes depict Pabuji as the victor of battles. A storyteller priest would have unrolled the scroll in the presence of a small audience and narrated Pabuji’s life through prose and song, while pointing to the images as his guide. Because the hero of the story is also revered as a regional god, the performance would have been imbued with ritual significance. Other painted scrolls tell non-religious stories and were used purely for entertainment purposes, especially before the introduction of cinema. Since the time of this work's original creation, the number of traveling storytellers in India has decreased dramatically.
Details
- Title
- Scroll Painting Dedicated to Pabuji
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.59
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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