By  Ang Yik Han

By a strange coincidence, different forms of mosaic art flourished in the West and East independently of each other. The renowned Byzantine mosaics have their parallels in the “jian nian (剪黏)” or cut and paste mosaic sculptures of Southern China. This decorative technique is widely used in traditional architecture, particularly in the elaborate sculptures adorning the roofs of temples in the Fujian and Chaozhou regions. Migrants from these regions brought the technique abroad and mosaic sculptures can be seen in many traditional buildings in Singapore and Malaysia.

To create a mosaic sculpture, craftsmen laboriously use sharp scissors to cut ceramic bowls into small fragments of different shapes and colours. These are arranged and pasted on a pre-formed plaster base which acts as the sculpture’s body. Out of these humble materials emerge the dragons and phoenixes which soar on temple roofs in a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours.

As for human figurines, their faces are made separately using porcelain while cut ceramic fragments are used to form their costumes. The craftsmen usually work with monochrome bowls of different hues which are specially fired for this purpose though ordinary household crockery and materials like cockle shells may also be used. In some cases nowadays, molded ceramic pieces are used in place of cut fragments.

A cemetery is not the usual place to find an ornate temple roof but the art of “jian nian” has nevertheless managed to find its way into Bukit Brown. On Hill 4, at the tomb of Mdm Yeoh Siew Kheng (commonly known as the “5 cats” tomb due to the presence of 5 lions), a lavish display of “jian nian” mosaics can be seen. There are the five lions, a pair of male attendants and tableaux featuring the 8 immortals. Even the Chinese characters of the tomb couplets are mosaics.

Time and the elements have not been kind to these art pieces but enough remain to give a hint of the once gay colours and resplendent forms.

So far, this is the only instance of “jian nian” mosaic sculptures found in Bukit Brown. With so many tombs unexplored there may be more surprises in store.