Vietnam Fine Arts Museum receives two rare ancient paintings

Two ancient works of art, the paintings "Thien Thuong Do" and "Cung Nghiem Phat Gia", are rare and precious worship paintings of the San Diu ethnic group.

On January 22nd, in Hanoi , the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum received two ancient works of art: "Heavenly Painting" and "Welcoming the Buddha," rare and valuable devotional paintings of the San Diu ethnic group, donated by collector Pham Duc Si.

Among them, the "Heavenly Painting" is a vertical scroll-shaped devotional painting, measuring up to 13 meters in length and 26 centimeters in width, painted in natural colors on traditional Vietnamese dó paper, dating back to the early 20th century. According to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, this is a rare type of long scroll painting, depicting the various realms of space from hell to heaven. The devotional painting has a tight composition, graceful brushstrokes, and vibrant colors, making it a work of high historical, cultural, and artistic value.

The second painting, titled "Welcoming the Buddha," is also a vertical scroll-style devotional painting (short scroll painting), with beautiful imagery, vibrant colors, and paper tinged with the passage of time... the painting depicts the story of people welcoming the Buddhas (Welcoming the Buddha).

Speaking at the donation ceremony, collector Pham Duc Si said that he has loved collecting ancestral paintings of ethnic minorities since the 2000s, and currently has a rich collection of several hundred paintings. Knowing that the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum needed to purchase ancestral paintings to supplement and enrich its folk art collection, and having worked with the museum for many years, he knew that the museum did not yet possess two ancestral paintings, "Heavenly Painting" and "Welcoming the Buddha," so he offered to donate them to the museum, hoping that the museum would preserve, utilize, and promote the value of these works to the wider public.

According to folk art researcher Phan Ngoc Khue, the two devotional paintings donated this time, the painting "Welcoming the Buddha's Arrival" signifies welcoming the Buddha down to earth, while the painting "Heavenly Painting" signifies bidding farewell to the deceased as they ascend to heaven (the land of the saints). These are extremely rare paintings with high cultural value, closely associated with the rituals in the cultural life of the San Diu ethnic group. These paintings can be considered an "encyclopedia" of the spiritual world of the San Diu people. Through these paintings, we can gain a deeper understanding of the cultural and spiritual life of this ethnic group...

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum Nguyen Anh Minh expressed his appreciation for the sentiment and noble gesture of collector Pham Duc Si towards the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, regarding the two extremely meaningful gifts that have been added to the Museum's collection.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Minh affirmed that these are two highly valuable works of Vietnamese folk art, donated by a collector. In particular, the painting "Heavenly Painting," measuring 13 meters in length, is extremely rare. This is the first time the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum has acquired such a long and valuable painting, enriching its collection of folk art.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Minh also acknowledged and pledged to preserve and promote the value of these two ancient paintings in the future. When the opportunity arises, the museum will display the works so that art lovers can admire them.

Sharing about the work of collecting artworks at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, Director Nguyen Anh Minh said that although there are still many difficulties, the Museum organizes research and collection of artworks every year to supplement its collections. The high-quality and valuable gifts that artists and collectors give to the Museum are extremely meaningful in the research and collection work.

The Director of the Fine Arts Museum, Nguyen Anh Minh, expressed his wish and called upon artists, researchers, collectors, businesses, etc., to continue supporting and contributing to the collection and donation of valuable works to the museum, so that the museum can have even more works of art, and future generations will have the opportunity to admire the works of art left behind by their ancestors.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Photo: Vietnam Fine Arts Museum

Source: https://vnfam.vn/vi/tin-t%E1%BB%A9c-ho%E1%BA%A1t-%C4%91%E1%BB%99ng/67918c64868636002a3fce75