Thankas (pronounced thang-kas) are a uniquely Tibetan form of scroll painting, religious in nature from their very beginning. They are said to have originated in India over two thousand years ago when they were used as teaching tools by Buddhist monks on pilgrimage. The monks would display the scrolls in the village square, teaching Buddhist concepts from the allegorical paintings. When Buddhism spread to Tibet during the 6th and 7th century A.D., these portable paintings became very popular and developed their own unique form known as thankas.
TECHNIQUE
Painted on fine linen, the thanka is covered with three coats of mineral or herbal color in distemper, a powdered pigment mixed with a binder of gelatin size (hide glue). Ink serves as the ground in some cases, with the image developed by use of a grid or woodblocks, outlined in gold, silver, or sometimes vermilion. Each deity has a traditional form which must be followed. The composition is determined by the needs of the donor, or left to the artist, once the deity and its aspect has been chosen. When completed, the thanka is stitched to a mount consisting of three different brocades, whose pattern and color is very important. Only floral, dragon or abstract designs are used. The first, a narrow band of red, is surrounded by another narrow band of yellow which, in turn, is sewn to a larger frame of semi-rectangular brocade, slightly widened at the base (see illustration). The mount is then attached to two wooden rods to keep it taut, with knobs at the extremity of the lower rods in either silver, gold, bronze, white metal, copper, wood; and, in rare instances, ivory or porcelain.
Stitched to the top of the thanka is a very fine, usually tie-dyed silk cloth, which serves to protect the painting when rolled, and in some instances, to keep it from the eyes of the uninitiated. When the thanka is displayed, the cloth is drawn up to form a drape resembling a flower. Stitched to either side of the cloth hang two streamers, usually of red silk, that serve a decorative as well as practical purpose of securing the opened thanka and preventing it from fluttering away in the wind.
For centuries brocades were woven in India, where there were special factories for the Tibetan market which still exist today. Brocades also came to Tibet across the trade routes from Russia, China and Japan, while the fine silk for the drop cloth was almost always from China.
Several embroidery methods were employed in creating thankas including appliqué, embroidery, sometimes using riverpearls, gold and silver threads, kesi and a collage made from bits of cut cloth glued onto canvas. More popular and frequently seen, however are the painted thankas. One must also include copper repoussé plaques sometimes referred to as metal thankas. (see illustration on page 3).
PURPOSE OF THE THANKA
The thanka served many purposes: instructional and reverential as well as referential, an aid in visualization which is an important facet of Tibetan Buddhism. Monks were invited by nomadic tribes to visit their camps and teach, or perform special ritual ceremonies. On such occasions, a very large tent was erected, the interior of which was decorated to resemble a temple interior, with carpets covering the earthen floor. Cushions and small, finely carved folding tables served as altar, throne and stands, while the walls were covered with hanging thankas.
Each of these unique visual aids took weeks, months or even a year or more to complete, depending on the size. An exception is the “Nyin Thang” or “one day thanka,” during which the artist-monk recited the mantra of the deity he invoked, uninterrupted by sleep or food. At the end of the twenty-four hours, the thanka was finished. Larger thankas, which could be several stories high, were hung from monastery roofs during special celebrations, ceremoniously hoisted by long lines of monks, often over treacherous terrain, then pulled aloft by long ropes (see illustration).
The sacred thankas were never signed by the artist or sold. Artists were commissioned and handsomely compensated, for their work, however. The artist painted the eyes of the deity last, after a day spent in fasting and meditation. When the eyes of the deity were painted and opened, the thanka was felt to be empowered and neither the donor nor artist wished to offend the deity by a monetary transaction. Thus the sum paid was considered to be “ransom.” The thanka could then be taken by the donor to the monastery or lama for consecration, and the three syllable Sanskrit mantra inscribed on the back of the scroll (see illustration). Of course, thankas could be given as gifts, although never bought or sold. Some of the finest examples now in museums and private collections were presented to the early explorers and other visitors by Tibetans. Fine thankas fetch very high prices from dealers and major auction houses (see illustration on page 3). Because of the unfortunate situation in Tibet, fine thankas have become extremely rare, and their price has continued to rise. Most new thankas are commercially produced by Indian and Nepalese artists, and their color, iconography and craftsmanship differ greatly from the genuine Tibetan. Acquired by unwary tourists, these pseudo-thankas have found their way into the Western market. Today Tibetan artists work only on commission and are so greatly in demand by Tibetans themselves that their work rarely appears on the commercial market.
Today, Tibet under the Chinese is in ruins, her art destroyed and over six thousand monasteries looted. Only five are known to remain, which are used as tourist attractions. The Tibetan government in exile has established the Norbulinka Center for the arts in Dharamsala, India, and it is here that young Tibetan artists are being trained in the ancient tradition of thanka painting.
When appraising thankas, a task not to be undertaken lightly by a generalist, many facets of thanka art should be considered, the most important being the skill of the individual artist. One should also remember that thankas several hundred years old may look fresh, especially if they were rolled and kept in good condition and may be difficult to distinguish from a new “antiqued” thanka by the unschooled eye. Also, a thanka with its original mount is more valuable than one without, and mounts are frequently changed. One must be aware of the different styles of painting, brocades and their periods to tell the difference. Different areas of Tibet as well as monasteries had unique styles, and the appraiser should be aware of them.
Most of all, one should be able to correctly identify the deities, since if their attributes or those of their attendants are incorrect, no matter how skilled the artist, the thanka has only limited decorative value.
