Art Collection Knowledge: What is Thangka?

What is Thangka:

Thangka is a Tibetan language (Thangka), also known as Tangyin. It is a scroll painting of Tibet. It has a history of more than 1400 years. The contents of the Thangka paintings are Buddhist images and Tibetan history and style. The paintings are sketched and brushwork, and the person drawing the Thangka will never be named on the painting. It is mainly the temples and the palaces.

Thangka is an encyclopedia that blends Buddhist spirit, traditional crafts, and personal creativity.

Han tourists purchase Thangka as a unique collection of Tibetan art appreciation; Tibetans purchase Thangka mostly as a religious spirit of worship.

Thangka, also known as “scroll painting” and “cloth painting,” is a kind of painting art that was raised by the Tibetans in the Songtsan Gambo era. They mostly painted on cloth surfaces and also painted on paper, as well as embroidery and brocade. Thangka, such as silk and decals, even woven jewelry, gold and other valuables.

As a unique form of Tibetan Buddhism, Thangka has a history of more than one thousand years. It has distinctive ethnic characteristics and unique artistic styles and is of high artistic value. It is a treasure of Chinese national painting art. The Thangka screen has fine strokes, bright colors, vivid shapes, and a wide range of contents. It is almost all-encompassing, with a wide variety of forms and colorful varieties and textures. All the pigments used are from precious minerals and natural plants in nature. After centuries or even thousands of years, the picture is still brilliant and brilliant.

There are two major difficulties in the collection of Thangka: one is to judge whether it is true or false, and the other is to determine the old and new.

The identification of true and false Thangka mainly depends on the subject matter, content, production of handicrafts, materials, and painting workers. Most of the Thangkas are hung in temples or homes. Perennial incense is used to create a natural, old-looking color. With a dry wool lining brush or a dry cotton ball, the dust on the surface can be seen to be calm and natural, and the color is uniform. The old Thangka was also smoked, smeared and smeared, but the handle was rough and dry, the old color was not natural, and the color was not uniform.

Judging the old and new Thangka is the most difficult degree followed by the penetration of pigments. The old Thangka can “eat” the pigments, while the old Thangka can clearly see that the pigment is still “floating on the surface”; the old Thangka’s friction and folding Traces, spalling, and corrosion are all natural and harmonious. The old Thangkas that were treated with chemicals such as acids and alkalis are obviously hard; the old Thangka’s corners are generally broken, gnawed by insects, and may have tiny Eggs.

As for the painter, the Thangka style before the 19th century was simple and simple, and because the paint was a natural mineral, it was intensely colored, thick, stiff, and not very rich in color, mostly red, blue, black, gold, and silver ( In other words, white), the face color of the figure is blackish (plateau color); and after the 19th century, it was influenced by Han Feng's rendering, contrasting, and sketching, and smok and 24 light and shade rendering techniques were used. In modern times, more plants are used to extract pigments, which are softer and more peaceful.

The head of the Tibet office in Guangzhou said that the Thangka painted with natural pigments is worth more than ordinary pigments. Natural pigments are turquoise, coral, agate, gold, silver, etc. General pigments are watercolor pigments; they are from temples and The noble family's Thangka value is relatively high. The identification method is to see whether the craft is meticulous or not and whether the pigment is natural pigment. The sleeve of the Tangka reel from the aristocrat is sterling silver, and the tangka edging is silk brocade. Judging whether it is from the temple or not, you can check the seal of the temple; the number of characters and the degree of fineness also determine the degree of painting works, focusing on the faces, eyebrows, and implements of the characters; and the fabric used by Thangka, the gemstones and gold wires used on them, as well as their influence. Value; because most collectors cannot judge whether Thangka is famous or not, it is only through the painter to judge its value.

In the Qing Dynasty, Datang Card Products was considered better than the line. In the Qing Dynasty, the Datang Cards were relatively well-designed and delicately drawn. They were drawn from the hands of famous monasteries, and the market price was about 5,000 yuan per square foot.

In addition, in general, Thangka, which is similar in size and handicraft, has a higher value as it ages. However, some collectors believe that the price of the old Thangka is too high. If the collection of contemporary Thangka masterpieces is not too expensive, it is more valuable to invest in collections.

Thangka Collection Tips* Wipe the surface of Thangka gently. Do not wipe it with a damp cloth or cotton ball, or contaminate Thangka with chemical cleaning agents.

* Scrolling can be done when collecting, but in the collection of the scrolls, the edges of the Thangka must be ironed and flattened. The Thangka's drawing center is covered with several layers of cotton paper to maintain the same thickness as the side.

* Keep it ventilated and dry, and Thangka cannot see water wet.

* At least one year, "appearance" once or twice, especially in the autumn when it is not in the direct sunlight under the sun for 1 to 2 minutes, pay attention to avoid strong sunlight.

* It is best to place insect repellents in wooden boxes (as well as eucalyptus).

* When you save, use newspapers (newspaper ink can be damp-proof), and then add plastic film.

* It is best to use frames when hanging, and avoid hanging in the rainy season.

*Air conditioning and dehumidifiers can be used during the wet season to keep the Thangka in a constant temperature and dry state.