Beginner’s guide
What is a thangka?
A thangka is a portable sacred painting used across Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist traditions for teaching, meditation, ritual and visual transmission.
01
More than decoration
Figures, gestures, implements, colours and surrounding lineages follow visual conventions that help practitioners recognise a subject and its role.
02
A portable format
Many thangkas are painted on cloth and mounted so they can be rolled, carried, displayed and stored. Material descriptions must still be verified record by record.
03
Context matters
A responsible image record distinguishes visual identification, historical attribution, collection source and legal permission. Confidence in one does not prove the others.