Painting Sets: Main Page
Subject: Art Sets Main PagePainting sets account for at least half or more of all Himalayan and Tibetan painted compositions making sets a unique feature of Himalayan Art. There are five major types of painting sets. There is also some overlap between Tantric Cycle, Compendium and Number Sets.
Video: Painting Sets
Five Types of Painting Sets:
1. Life Story (Narrative)
2. Lineage
3. Tantric Cycle
4. Compendium
5. Number Sets
Painting Sets Subjects & Topics:
- Painting Sets Outline Page
- Painting Sets: Life Story Outline
- Painting Sets: Index/Glossary
- Painting Sets Resource Page
- Mahasiddha Painting Sets
- Others...
The most famous sets of paintings are Shakyamuni Buddhas & the Sixteen Great Arhats, followed by the Life-story, Previous Life-stories (jataka) and Teaching Stories (avadana) of the Buddha. The life-story of Padmasambhava condensed into the Eight Forms, along with the Milarepa and Tsongkapa life stories are also quite common.
The Teaching Lineage painting sets of the Sakya Lamdre (Margapala) and the Karma Kagyu Mahamudra Lineages (sertreng) are the most common.
For the Incarnation Lineage painting sets the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama and Jonang Taranata are the most common.
Miscellaneous Subjects include Shakyamuni Buddha & Sixteen Great Arhats, Six Ornaments & Two Excellent Ones, Eighty-four Mahasiddhas, Twenty-one Taras, Vajravali Deity set, Sarvadurgati Parishodhana, Four Transcendent Lords, Twelve Ritual Deities, etc.
Jeff Watt 6-2010 [updated 7-2020]
