Welcome to Thangka.ws, site dedicated to Tibetan Thang Ka.

Also known as Tangka, Tanka, or Thanka, according to Tibetan transliteration, Thangka is embroidered or painted on cloth, silk or paper, color scroll paintings, and depict illustrations of Tibetan cultural features. Thangka is mainly used by monks to teach the varied life of Buddha, but it also reflects the Tibetan history and ethnic customs. Tibetan Thangka are rigorous in composition, balanced, well-developed and variable. They are mainly painted with exact color delineation and in the traditional line drawing style.

In addition to paint and print, Thangka varieties include embroidery, brocade, tapestry, applique and pearl Thangka. Embroidery uses colored silk threads to make landscapes, figures, flowers, plumes, and pavilions among others. Brocade uses satin as the base and several colors of silk as the weft. Through jacquard weaving the design is ˇ°copiedˇ± onto the fabric, hence called ˇ°Dui Xiuˇ± in Chinese. Applique Thangka uses colored satin, cut into a variety of characters and graphics and pasted onto the fabric. Tapestry Thangka utilizes the "weft pass-through" approach creating an intense decorative effect. Other colorful designs are decorated with precious stones and gems stitched together with gold threads that create an exceptionally dazzling combination.

Silk tapestry is an art form unique to China whereby the drawing is transplanted onto silk. These Thangka fabric textures are generously thick and rigorously well-knit. The designs are exquisite with magnificent coloring. Tibetan Thangka fabrics are specially designed in Mainland China, particularly in the Yong Le period, Ming Dynasty. Over the years, they spread to Tibet, where Tibetans were also able to produce fabrics from local embroidery and applique Thangka methods.

There are two types of printing Thangka. One type overlays color designs then prints and is mounted. The other takes a carving of the design and dips it with ink to print it on thin silk or fine cloth, and then made color-mounted. This Thangka, thin-stroked, strong-bladed, with dyed ink colors is clearly structured and unique. This rich, elegant style possesses a three-dimensional decorative effect.