Thangka is similar to the scroll paintings of the Han chinese region, mostly painted on cloth or paper, and then framed with satin sewing, with a thin rope on the upper horizontal shaft for easy suspension, and a delicate shaft head at both ends of the lower shaft. The screen is covered with thin silk and double ribbons. After the thangka involving Buddhism is framed, it is generally necessary to ask the lama to chant the blessing and cover the back with the lama's golden juice or cinnabar handprint. There are also very small amounts of silk, embroidery and pearl thangka. Thangka's painting is extremely complex, the materials are extremely elaborate, the pigments are all natural mineral plant raw materials, the color is gorgeous, enduring, with a strong snowy style. In terms of content, the thangkas are mostly Tibetan religion, history, culture and art, science and technology, etc., embodying the faith and wisdom of the Tibetan people, recording the civilization, history and development of Tibet, and pinning on the incomparable feelings of the Tibetan people for the Buddha and their infinite love for their snowy homeland.
Thangka is a unique form of painting in Tibetan culture. With distinct national characteristics, strong religious colors and unique artistic style, the world of the sacred Buddha is depicted with bright colors; the pigments are traditionally all made of precious mineral gemstones such as gold, silver, pearls, agate, coral, turquoise, malachite, cinnabar, and saffron, rhubarb, blue indigo and other plants as pigments to show their sacredness. These natural raw materials ensure that the painted thangka is bright and dazzling, and although it has been hundreds of years, it is still bright and bright. Therefore, it is known as a treasure of Chinese national painting art, and is known as the "encyclopedia" of the Tibetan people, which is also a precious intangible cultural heritage in the folk art of the Chinese nation.
On the back of the thangka, the head, neck and heart of the Buddha statue are written with the words Sanskrit, a, and moo, and the lama is asked to chant the blessings and open the light.
In terms of the use of thangkas, this art form is also mainly to serve religious life. Monasteries are the center of Tibetan religious culture, and most thangkas, especially some famous masterpieces, are mainly concentrated in monasteries. Its main function is to hang it for believers to worship and meet the needs of their religious life. The thangkas preserved by the people are also mainly used by Buddhists to arrange their own prayer halls and shrines.
Although thangka has a long history, it has not been long since thangka really entered the collectible market. Since 2006, because thangkas have been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list, their collections have shown a very obvious heating trend, and their prices have basically doubled every year.
Ming and Qing thangkas only began to appear in China's auction market around 2000, when the auction price was generally around 10,000 yuan. In 2008, a Ming Zhengde "Medicine Buddha Statue" Thangka set a thangka auction record for 15.4 million yuan. On November 26, 2014, Liu Yiqian, owner of the Long Museum in Shanghai, auctioned the "Ming Yongle Imperial Red Yan Mo Enemy Embroidered Thangka", known as the "King of Thangkas", for HK$310 million, which first flowed into the West and first appeared at Christie's in London in 1977 for £7,000 to an Indian collector, followed by a $1 million change of hands in 1994. At christie's auction in Hong Kong in 2002, a new record of HK$30.87 million was set.
Next, please enjoy a group of Vajrasattva thangkas numbered 138-419799: