Yao Taoist Shaman's Scroll, Framed

A dark-faced marshal stands on the air, wings spread, above two armed guards.

This framed Taoist shaman's scroll, titled Tang Yun-Suei or Marshall Teng, is by an unknown Yao artist from China, 19th century, in pigment on paper. Taoist marshals are martial protector deities, and Yao priests called on such figures in rites meant to drive off harmful spirits. Here the marshal stands in a red and black costume, weapons raised, with feathered wings behind him. Below stand two bearded guards with staffs, in a border of winding vines. 63.5 inches high, framed.

Protection, in this tradition, is not a gentle business.