How to distinguish the true and false of thangkas?

The identification of true and false thangkas is mainly judged from the aspects of subject matter, content, production process, materials, and painting.

Before the 19th century, the thangka painting style was simple and simple, and because the pigment was a pure natural mineral, the color was strong, thick, stiff, and the color was not too rich, mostly red, blue, black, gold, silver (that is, white), and the face color of the characters was black (highland color). After the 19th century, under the influence of Han style rendering, foiling and outlining, most of them used methods such as blending and 24 times of chiaroscuro rendering. Contemporary plants are also used to extract pigments, which are soft and peaceful. Thangkas from temples and aristocratic families are of relatively high value, and the identification method is to see whether the craftsmanship is meticulous or not and whether the pigments are natural pigments, the sleeve of the thangka scroll from the nobility is sterling silver, and the thangka wrapping edge is silk brocade. To determine whether it is from the temple, you can check the temple seal, and the number and fineness of the characters also determine the degree of painting engineering, focusing on the face shape, eyebrows, and magic tools of the characters. The cloth used in thangka, the gemstones, gold wires, etc. used on it, also affect its value.

Most thangkas are hung in temples or homes, there are incense sticks all year round, forming a natural old color, with a dry wool row pen or dry cotton ball to sweep the dust on the surface to see the color is calm and natural, the color is uniform; and the old thangka also takes smoked, smoky soil to apply the old, but the feel is rough and dry, the old color is not natural, and the color is uneven.

The second is the penetration of pigments, the old thangka can "eat" the pigment into it, and the old thangka can obviously see that the pigment is still only "floating on the surface"; the friction, crease, peeling and corrosion of the old thangka are very natural, the whole is harmonious, and the old thangka treated with acid and alkali and other chemicals is obviously stiff; the corners of the thangka may generally have damage, insect bites, and may also have tiny insect eggs

Next, please enjoy a group of black and gold style thangkas numbered 138-799453