Haffenreffer’s new exhibit a rare find

A collection of Taoist folk paintings was thought to have dated from the 19th century. A recent translation of text, however, reveals the paintings are nearly 200 years older.

by Mary Jo Curtis

Thierry Gentis was pleased when the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology was able to acquire what he believed was a rare collection of sacred Taoist folk paintings last year.

He and his colleagues believed the collection – which they were able to purchase “purely by chance”– dated to the 19th century and would be a wonderful addition to the museum’s exhibits. They got more than they bargained for, however: A recent translation of the text revealed the paintings are some 200 years older than first thought.

“This is one of the oldest collections known. The date has been established at 1670,” said Gentis, associate curator and collections manager for the museum. “The oldest known had come from the early 18th century, so these are a little older. … It was a great surprise.”

Their find is now the subject of a new exhibition, “Dragon Bridge: Taoist Paintings of the Mien,” which opens with a 4 p.m. reception on Sunday, April 28, at the Haffenreffer Museum in Bristol. The collection, which comes from the Mien Hill Tribe of northern Thailand, includes 24 large scroll paintings, each depicting a god from the Taoist pantheon, and each telling a story and having its own purpose in religious ceremonies of Taoism, China’s primary indigenous religion.

According to Gentis, individual Mien paintings are occasionally found on the market, but it’s unusual to find a complete collection. Usually kept as heirlooms by the Mien – who live in the hills of South China, northern Thailand and Vietnam – they have been sold as families have replaced them, abandoned their traditional practices or, in some cases, converted to Christianity.

“The paintings were generally very sacred, precious objects, and they were never seen unless being used in a ceremony by a priest,” said Gentis, who attributes the good condition of the new collection to the care and protection of its original owners. “This is a really rare set because it’s so early and because it’s complete. It has retained its integrity… (and) it’s in excellent condition.”

The sacred paintings were typically used on altars “for sending the souls of departed priests to heaven” and for use in curing ceremonies “to bring health and wealth to individuals or a village,” explained Gentis. The “Dragon Bridge” of the title painting was “literally a bridge to send the soul to heaven,” he noted.

Before the paintings were used by Mien worshippers, Taoist priests performed a consecration ceremony in which the gods were invited to embody or “reside” in the paintings. Even today, the paintings remain an essential part of the Mien religion and have a strong link to the tradition of Chinese popular folk art.

The Haffenreffer staff asked several faculty members – both artists and Chinese scholars – to translate the Chinese text they found on the back of the scrolls to confirm their date of origin. Li Wang, curator of the University’s East Asian collection, was among those who examined the paintings.

“This is an exciting finding for researchers, especially for scholars of that period,” said Wang. The collection could serve as a first-hand source for those scholars; the details of the paintings illustrate the differences between the mainstream practice of Chinese Taoism and the characteristics of localized practices, he added.

Gentis and his colleagues are fairly certain the collection is an original.

“There is a tradition of copyism in China, but not with folk paintings,” he said. “It’s not impossible, but that would be unusual.”

The new exhibit is open to the public at the Haffenreffer Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the museum at 253-8388 or visit the museum's website.