Asian arts : Thangkas

Tangka or thangka is a painting of Buddhist inspiration that entices to meditation.
It mainly developed in Tibet and Mongolia.
Technically thangka is a painting that uses mineral color pigments on a cotton or silk canvas.
Thangka also uses embroidery techniques, as well as those of collage and appliqué, not to mention that of inserting precious stones.
Traditional thangkas depict a Buddhist universe, called mandala, in order to educate people.
World famous auction houses such as Christie’s offer thangkas from the 15th to the 19th century.
In the 20th century the Mongol Zurag school developed nationalistic themes based on thangkas.