Nepal · Painting / Religious Craft
थाङ्का (Thangka)
The Patan school of thangka painting is Nepal's distinct contribution to the broader Tibeto-Buddhist thangka tradition — distinct from both Tibetan thangka (Menri or Karma Gadri styles) and Bhutanese Lhazo (CRAFT-0533) in its Newar-influenced color palette and iconometric system. The Patan school uses a warmer, more saturated color range than Tibetan thangka — particularly the treatment of the background: Tibetan thangka typically use a dark blue or green atmospheric background; Patan school uses a warm gold wash background applied in diluted gold powder solution that produces a luminous amber ground. The defining technical element is the Newar face painting sequence: the face of a deity is completed last and the eyes are opened in a single uninterrupted session — the eye-opening moment (chakshudaan) cannot be interrupted by any pause or conversation. The eye-opening brush stroke must be continuous from the inner corner to the outer corner in a single breath-held movement.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Nepal national ICH list; UNESCO Kathmandu Valley Heritage context
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