Tankas

Tibetan paintings are basically made on the walls of temples or are painted banners or hangers called thankas. The Tibetan thanka usually shows religious depictions, represented by deities surrounded by followers, and often contained within a mandala or magic circle. A mandala is often seen on a Tibetan thanka, and usually contains objects around it that represent ideas or emotions. The earliest thankas date back to the 10th century and possibly earlier, but most examples are from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Figural depictions in the thankas of Tibet are often extremely detailed and brightly colored. The subject matter of most Tibetan thankas is dominated by images or icons based on tantric Buddhist art, which was imported to Tibet from India between the 8th and 11th centuries. The art of tantric Buddhism places emphasis on magic and esoteric symbolism, represented in special poses and particular objects. Most thankas from Tibet are anonymous religious works and include images of various gods of nature, spirits, demons, the Buddha and his attending bodhisattvas.