![]() In working closely with this family of Tibetan Thangka painters, Jordan Quill hopes to encourage the continuation of this traditional artform for the next generation, as well as the use of high-quality materials and techniques. Steeped in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, these paintings are made with the love, care, and attention of this incredible family. They now Live between McLeodganj, India, to be close to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, and Kathmandu, Nepal. Thangkas sold by Jordan Quill are ethically sourced from the Lama family, who have been thangka painters for many generations. It measures 53cm wide and 82cm in height (excluding the wooden pole at the bottom). This thangka is highlighted with details in metallic gold paint. It is around 10 years old and bears signs of this such as rubbing and paint loss, but these only add to its charm as an old artwork with memories of this past. This represents cyclic existence, or ‘samsara’, the process of being reborn. This thangka depicts a bhāvacakra, (Tibetan: སྲིད་པའི་འཁོར་ལོ་), or ‘wheel of life’ design. ![]() The Lama family are Tibetan Buddhists and regularly seek audience with His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama in McLeodganj, Dharamsala, or visit the Tibetan Buddhist stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath in Kathmandu. The Tamangs (ཏ་མང་), originate from Nepal and speak a Tibeto-Burman language that shares much of its vocabulary with Tibetan. This thangka was hand painted by a Tamang artisan from the Lama family in Himachal Pradesh, in the Himalayan region of Northern India. Both of these problems are solved, if you cut a colored cardboard frame, and place it between the the painting and the glass, as explained above with the custom frames.A thangka is a traditional Tibetan painting depicting Buddhist deities, mantras or mandalas. Also, the edges of the canvas are not always cleanly cut. One problem is that the paint touches the glass and may stick after some years. If the size is good and the background cardboard is of right color, they can look quite good. Ready-made frames are an affordable way to quickly frame a thangka. It may be possible to find special UV-glass to protects the paints from ultraviolet rays. It is very important to protect the painting from direct sunlight. We sometimes tried matte glass to avoid reflecting light, but didn't like the result much. ![]() For the people, who can afford the absolute best, there is special non-reflecting glass, which is even difficult to see. We, ourselves, use a glass with every framed thangka. Cleaning, protecting, moving and preserving the thangka becomes easier. The drawback of using a glass is reflecting light, but it has many benefits. The thangkas can be framed with or without a glass. Also it would be better if the framer didn't use glue to fix the painting. All the thangkas have a 1 inch border, usually red, which will be hidden behind the cardboard frame. This can be done with a colored cardboard frame between the glass and the painting (the red inner frame in the photo). It would be better if the paints do not touch the glass. There are some important things that you don't necessarily get from an average framing shop without asking: All cardboard should be acid-free. Generally made of wood, often painted with gold, custom hard frames give the best protection for a thangka and are many times the only possibility with higher quality artworks. Some guidelines below from the Tibet Shop (Finland). In Europe and the United States it is hard to find the thangka painter to frame your Thangkas so Thangkas without a brocade require some kind of frames. Thangkas are traditionally framed with brocade in Tibet and Nepal.
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