Description

This is a Tibetan Thangka, which is a Tibetan Buddhist ground mineral painting on cotton or silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Most thangkas are relatively small, including this one, comparable in size to a Western half-length portrait. Most thangkas were intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students. A thangka usually depicts a central Buddhist deity or teacher surrounded by associated gods and lineage figures, describes events or myths attributed to important religious teachers, or outlines the blueprint of a particular deity’s realm as a mandala. The viewer accrues merit and makes spiritual progress by meditating on the iconographic imagery associated with the particular Buddhist teaching. The artist of a thangka must be properly trained and have sufficient religious understanding, knowledge, and background to create an accurate and appropriate thangka.