All you need to know about Thangkas

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A thangka, variously spelt as thangka, tangka, thanka, or tanka, is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala.

The delicate nature of a Thangka

Thangkas are traditionally kept unframed and rolled up when not on display, mounted on a textile backing somewhat in the style of Chinese scroll paintings, with a further silk cover on the front.

Well treated, thangkas can last a long time, but because of their delicate nature, they have to be kept in dry places where moisture will not affect the quality of the silk.

Similarity with Western portraits

Most thangkas are relatively small, comparable in size to a Western half-length portrait, but some are extremely large, several metres in each dimension.

Large thangkas are designed to be displayed, typically for very brief periods on a monastery wall, as part of religious festivals.

Personal meditation & monastic teachings

Most thangkas were intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students.

They often have elaborate compositions including many very small figures.

A central deity is often surrounded by other identified figures in a symmetrical composition.

Narrative scenes are less common, but do appear.

Glossary of terms related to Thangkas

Thangka

Thangka is an art. A thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk applique, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Thangkas are traditionally kept unframed and rolled up when not on display, mounted on a textile backing somewhat in the style of Chinese scroll paintings, with a further silk cover on the front.

Paubha

Paubhā is a traditional religious painting made by the Newar people of Nepal. Paubhas depict deities, mandalas or monuments, and are used to help the practitioner meditate. The Tibetan equivalent is known as Thangka.

Applique Thangkas

Applique Thangkas are made of silk, either by appliqué or embroidery.

During some festivals, giant applique thangkas are designed to be unrolled against a wall in a monastery for particular religious occasions

Thangka wall

A thangka wall is, in Tibetan religious architecture, a stone-built structure used for hanging giant, or monumental, appliqued thangkas, or scrolls, in some of the major Buddhist monasteries of Tibet. These giant thangkas are called gos ku, goku, gheku, kiku in Tibetan. The thangka wall stands on a hillside from where it overlooks the monastic settlement. Its form is that of a narrow, elongated and tall rectangular building with a battered façade and a flat roof surrounded by a parapet.

Tree of physiology

The Tree of physiology is a Tibetan Thangka depicting human physiology and certain pathological transformations.

Conservation and restoration of Tibetan thangkas

The conservation and restoration of Tibetan thangkas is the physical preservation of the traditional religious Tibetan painting form known as a thangka. When applied to thangkas of significant cultural heritage, this activity is generally undertaken by a conservator-restorer.