Tibetan Thangka
01 · Historical Records
The Mentang school is the most influential school of Tibetan thangka painting after the 15th century, practiced mainly in the U-Tsang region. The founder of the school was Menla Dondrup Gyatso, who was born in Lhoze Mentang (present-day Shannan area); the Mentang school takes its name from this place. Mentang school art arose and took shape in the era of the tsenpo (Tibetan kings), flourished from the middle of the Phagmodru period to the Ganden Phodrang period, underwent a turning point between 1949 and 1966, and after 1966 began to fall into neglect and silence. Although local governments carried out considerable salvage work after the 1980s, its painting technique remains in a state where it is difficult to continue, and it is necessary to further intensify rescue efforts.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Alongside his creative work, Menla Dondrup Gyatso also wrote a theoretical treatise on painting based on the Tantras (Xubu): The Wish-Fulfilling Gem for Measuring Iconography (Zaoxiang Huadu Ruyibao). The Mentang school is distributed mainly in the U-Tsang region; the temple murals and thangkas of Lhasa, Shigatse, and Shannan are largely from its hand. The Mentang school makes its preliminary drawings according to the proportions prescribed in The Wish-Fulfilling Gem for Measuring Iconography: buddhas and bodhisattvas are given peaceful, dignified forms, while dharmapalas are given terrifying, wrathful forms; backgrounds mostly use blue-and-green landscapes and scrolling-grass patterns. The Mentang school takes azurite blue and malachite green as its dominant tones, with even, flowing lines and pictures that are bright yet dignified, forming a contrast with the masculine style of the Khyenri school, which emphasizes wrathful figures.
The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of Iconometry
The painting treatise that Menthangpa Döndrub Gyatso compiled from the Tantra section, setting out proportions and measurements for images and serving as the school's classic manual.
Menthangpa and his teacher Dopa Tashi
Born at Menthang in Lhozhag, from which the school takes its name, he studied under Dopa Tashi of Sakya and stressed drawing lines — neat, fluent, strict in canon yet varied, with lively and bright colour.
Yamantaka and Palden Lhamo
Signature works of the inheritor Danba Raodan, along with The Earth and The Cloth-bag Monk; trained in logic, Buddhist theory and painting at Sera from the age of fifteen, he draws with strict canon and delicate colour, blue and green especially prominent.
Restoring the Jokhang murals and teaching the school
Tibet University serves as the safeguarding unit. Gesang Tseden worked on the Jokhang mural restoration from 1971 to 1974, learning old mural techniques and pigment preparation, and from 1983 studied under Professor Danba Raodan.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Menla Dondrup Gyatso studied under the painter Dorje Tashi of the Sakya region; through painstaking research he attained a high level of achievement in painting. His imagery emphasizes the use of line — neat and flowing, strictly canonical yet richly varied — with lively, bright coloring.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka · Tibetan Thangka.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Danba Raodan (related inheritor, official archive record): male, Tibetan, born in 1941, from Tibet. In order to learn about Buddhism, he entered the Sera Mahayana College at the age of fifteen, where he systematically studied logic (pramana), Buddhist doctrine, and painting theory. In the 1980s he was transferred to the Gesar Research Office of the Tibet Normal College, where he painted a large number of color illustrations with a strong Tibetan painting character for the Epic of King Gesar. The thangkas he painted are strictly canonical, with delicate, magnificent coloring in which azurite blue and malachite green are especially prominent. His main representative works include Great Wrathful Vajra (Yamantaka), The Earth, Cloth-Bag Monk, and Palden Lhamo. Gesang Cidan (related inheritor, official archive record): male, Tibetan, born in 1958, from Tibet. From 1971 to 1974 he took part in the mural restoration project at the Jokhang Temple, studying under numerous experts in Tibetan traditional painting the techniques of restoring and painting ancient Tibetan murals, the methods of preparing Tibetan painting pigments, and traditional Tibetan arts and crafts techniques. In 1981 he was admitted to the undergraduate fine arts class of the Department of Letters and Physical Education at the Tibet Normal College, but was later forced to drop out for reasons beyond his control. In 1983 he began to receive painstaking guidance from Professor Danba Raodan, systematically studying traditional Tibetan fine art techniques and art history and theory. He emphasizes the use of line, with lively, richly varied coloring; his representative works include Lotus-Net Avalokitesvara, Dharmapala, and the Mandala of the Eight Auspicious Symbols.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Danbaraodan 01-0063
- Gesangcidan 01-0064
- Yandengzeren 04-1748
- Luobusida 04-1749
- Xirebu 04-1750
- Jiumai 04-1751
- Lameng 05-2581
- Cirenluobu 05-2582
- Zhaxi 05-2583
- Gade 05-2584
- Mimaciren 05-2585
- Jiaobajiabu 05-2586
- Qujiu
- Gesang
- Nima
- Tudengweise
- Gamadanzeng
- Luozhubasong
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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