THANKA Products of Nepal and Tibet

What is THANKA ?

The THANKA or 'scroll-painting' is perhaps the most typical religious and artistic utterance of the Tibetan Buddhism. The THANKA is to the Lamaism; an artistic utterance of a deep religious experience, submitted to strict iconographical conditions concerning depiction, color, dimensions, proportions, etc...

THANKA's are predominantly objects with meditational meanings. The portrayed subjects are very divergent, from historical characters, through pure imaginary creatures to strict geometrical forms, the mandala's. These are the ultimate means of meditation because they represent the cosmos. These Mandala's also return in architecture (for example the giant stupa of Bodnath in Nepal ). THANKA's represent the feelings and ideas that are hidden deep inside each of us. We can conclude this from the fact that the artist only starts to paint when he is mentally prepared (fasting and meditation). The work itself may take several months, depending on the size and subject...

THANKA's are all unique, totally handmade works of art, which deserve a place in every interior.

How THANKA are made ?

Thankas are painted on coarse cotton or on canvas, stretch on wooden frame and treated with mixture of lime plaster, flour and glue them when dry, rubbed with a object e.g. "conch" to make the surface smooth. When the cloth is ready, the outline is drawn with soot from oil lamps or charcoal, and later traced in ink. The outline would always begin with the CENTRAL FIGURE around which the secondary scenes would then be drawn., And the colors, mixed with thin glue were filled in.