A living tradition
One work at a time

Every work is individually catalogued.

 Find your pieceFour questions, one purpose

The nine purposes

What are you looking for?

Most people arrive knowing the occasion rather than the name. The collection is arranged in nine purposes, and each one opens onto the figures traditionally associated with it.

  1. I Refuge Where practice begins
  2. II Compassion Held for someone else
  3. III Clarity Study and clear mind
  4. IV Abundance Support and sustenance
  5. V Healing Restoration and well-being
  6. VI Longevity Years, and the use of them
  7. VII Protection What guards the rest
  8. VIII Purification Cleansing and renewal
  9. IX Passage Birth, death and return

See all nine, side by side

Illustrative reference of a painter working on a thangka

Regong, Qinghai

A tradition carried from hand to hand

The work begins at the frame. A drawing becomes a field of colour, then a surface of fine lines, built through patient attention.

We document each work individually. The painter, place, materials and inscriptions are shared only when the record has been reviewed.

Meet the painters

Regong, Qinghai

Hand-painted Tibetan thangka from Regong, Qinghai

Explore the collection

Small format

Small-format thangka, artwork core only

Explore the collection

Explore individual small-format works. Any frame or case shown in the photograph is for presentation and is not included. See each catalogue page for the details recorded for that piece.

Amulets and objects · 81 pieces

Tibetan amulets, gau boxes and silver pendants

Explore the collection
Ground pigments arranged in small bowls

The material record

The colour begins with the material.

Pigment, ground, gold and cloth each have a place in the record. We distinguish what can be seen from what has been documented, and leave unverified materials unclaimed.

How a thangka is made
Illustrative reference of a gilt butter lamp

A light of wisdom

A lamp is never only a lamp.

A small object can hold a large intention: a moment of attention, a gift, a place in the home.

Objects in the catalogue receive the same individual record as paintings, including their materials, dimensions and condition.

All ritual objects
Illustrative view of a thangka studio

Letters from the catalogue

We write when a work is ready.

A considered note about newly documented works: what is ready, what is known about it, and how to find out more. Unsubscribe at any time.