The Genre Paintings of Taiwan’s Aboriginal Peoples
The Genre Paintings of Taiwan’s Aboriginal Peoples (Fanshe caifeng tu), now held in the collections of the Institute of History and Philology (IHP) at Academia Sinica, was originally and unofficially entitled An Illustrated Account of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples (Tai fan tushuo). It was donated by Italian diplomat and scholar Giuseppe Ros (1883–1948) in February 1935. According to scholar Tu Cheng-sheng, this series of genre paintings was completed in response to Supervising Censor Liu Shi-chi’s (in office 1744–1747) request for detail on indigenous culture in Taiwan.
Within this form of literature, there exist at least ten books of paintings that deserve our consideration, at least three of which have been discerned as being requested by Liu Shi-chi. These paintings, of which the IHP has a comparatively rich collection of eighteen, were almost certainly produced by the same painter or group of craftsmen. Completed with extraordinary care and precision, they represent a collection of exceptional historical value. They are, indeed, windows to indigenous society, featuring both its primitive foundations and transition into a state.
Within this form of literature, there exist at least ten books of paintings that deserve our consideration, at least three of which have been discerned as being requested by Liu Shi-chi. These paintings, of which the IHP has a comparatively rich collection of eighteen, were almost certainly produced by the same painter or group of craftsmen. Completed with extraordinary care and precision, they represent a collection of exceptional historical value. They are, indeed, windows to indigenous society, featuring both its primitive foundations and transition into a state.
