Painting



Black Background
a painting type used for accentuating the fierceness of wrathful subjects.
Blockprints
pressed from wood blocks onto paper or cloth.
Charts
astrological, medical and protective talismans.
Coloured Background
the majority of Himalayan & Tibetan paintings belong to this classification of coloured tangka.
Gold Background
a special treatment for peaceful deities, long-life deities and buddhas.
Hands and Feet
Images of the hand and foot prints of famous teachers, predominantly Kagyu and Nyingma.
Illuminated Manuscripts
small images drawn or painted to decorate the pages of religious books.
Initiation Cards
(Tibetan: tsagli) small painted cards used during Tantric initiation ceremonies.
Landscapes
scenic landscape vistas generally painted on a horizontal cotton canvas.
Mandala
geometric models of a pure universe; the abode of archetypal deities.
Murals
wall paintings: the principal art form of Buddhist & Bon religious establishments.
Painted Prints (Parma)
painted prints: pressed from wood blocks onto cotton then painted and framed as tangkas.
Pauba
the scroll paintings of the Kathmandu Valley.
Red Background
paintings with a ground of vermillion, iron oxide.