Description
Tibetan Medical thangka – over 1000 years of documented medical practice
33 x 28cm sized medical thangka. Exceptional quality. Original. From Tibet
We offer an original Tibetan educational medical thangka depicting the topographical lines of the channels. Because all Tibetan medicine students study these images, so each thangka must faithfully reproduce the original illustrations.
Tibetan doctors use thangkas like this one to teach students of Traditional Tibetan medicine because medical books were rare and these were easier to carry. The original set exists in the Blue Beryl.
The Blue Beryl explains the teachings of Tibetan medicine, found in the Four Medical Tantras, through an illustrated work with 79 accompanying thangka paintings. Discovered by the Regent of the 5th Dalai Lama, he then designed and commissioned them in the late 17th century. Faithfully reproduced by master Monks until today, they serve as teaching illustrations.
Painted between 1980 and 1985 by monks and artists, and supervised by a world renowned Great Master, it is therefore unlike many other similar items that you will find online. This is an original piece from Tibet, not Nepal, and that makes a difference. The artists used only natural ingredients in this piece.
Thangkas that originate from Tibet are either recent (since 1980) or before 1900. Anything in between is not from Tibet. More likely Nepal, Bhutan or India.
The work at close inspection is very strong and vibrant, with precise lines. The faces and body have been carefully illustrated to ensure the details emerge clearly. Artists paint the thangka on cotton and linen mixed media. This would be a great addition to any serious student’s wall and is quite rare.
Craftsmen
The making of such a beautiful thangka is a rich art. It requires the master artisan monk to have knowledge and craftsmanship gleaned from more than 40 years of experience to be able to craft such a work. Using precise ancient methods, the craftsmen paint the thangka onto a unique blend of cotton and linen. They then coat it to prevent deterioration. The dyes are of natural plant and mineral origin from the Himalayan foothills or in the region.
This artistic and sacred tradition of such thangkas has been transmitted orally through the centuries.
Original thangkas of this quality have become quite rare. They are a highly valued collectable as the painstaking art of its making is now restricted to only a few old master craftsman. There are newer schools of thangka painters which, like modern singing bowls, lack the essence that older pieces command.
All serious practitioners require at least one thangka of this quality. Older pieces like this are worth the investment and should last a lifetime.
Remember that we only have one of each of our thangkas.
Once sold, there won’t be another of this quality for sale.
Dimensions: 33 cm x 28 cm
