Himalayan Art Resources

Textile: Applique Artwork Main Page

Textile Main Page

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Introduction (Shinzo Shiratori)
- Giant Applique
- Masterworks
- Brocade Mounts
- Dance Aprons & Costumes
- Outline Page
- Confusions
- Others...

Videos:
- Textile Art
- Thangka: Textile Mounts

Jeff Watt [updated 6-2017, 8-2023]


'Tibetan and Himalayan appliqué textile art is a traditional craft primarily associated with religious depictions, displays and rituals. Textile arts are most common to the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Northern India, and Mongolia (under the Buddhist cultural sway of those true Himalayan regions).'

'Appliqué has three main types: scrollwork (tangkas), giant scrollwork and decorative. The most well-known forms are the two types of scrollwork which are simply textile versions of Himalayan and Tibetan painting common to the Buddhist and Bon religious traditions.'

'Appliqué is a technique that involves sewing smaller pieces of fabric onto a larger piece to create either figurative compositions or decorative designs. The more detailed portions are created in sections and later stitched onto a base layer. For very detailed works embroidered sections are often added.' (Shinzo Shiratori).
Essay: APPLIQUÉ ARTISTIC TRADITION AND THE WAR GOD BEGTSE’S SIGNIFICANCE IN MONGOLIA by Uranchimeg Tsultemin.