Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo, Silk Applique Thangkas

How Silk Thangkas are Made

Though often referred to in museum catalogs as "appliqué" thangkas, the term inaccurately describes this unique craft because there is no single background cloth onto which pieces are applied. More accurately, it is a mosaic or patchwork of silk pieces outlined, cut, and arranged like a jigsaw puzzle to form a precise and intricate image.

	To begin the process, Leslie creates a line drawing. Drawings of sacred figures like Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are made according to strict proportions passed down for centuries and believed to be important for the spiritual value and efficacy of the image. The proportions are a context in which to create an original drawing of the figure. They function as guides to the anatomy of sacred beings, allowing an artist to create his or her own vision of the Buddha while maintaining integrity with textual descriptions. The cloth or paper on which this drawing is made will not become part of the finished piece. Rather, it is used as a template or map to create a picture out of silk.
	Each distinctly colored area is formed by a separate piece of colored silk. Silks are handloomed and dyed in Varanasi, India by family businesses which have been trading with the Tibetans for generations.
	Individual portions of the drawing are transferred to the appropriate cloth with the help of tracing papers.
	Contours are defined by cords of horsetail hair handwrapped with silk thread and couched to the silk cloth along precisely drawn lines. Because the thread wound around the horsetail and the thread used to stitch it to the cloth are the same, the stitches (if well executed) are not visible to the viewer.
	When pieces are cut out and the edges turned under, a horsetail cord rests at the edge of each piece forming a raised outline.
	Pieces are then properly placed like a jigsaw puzzle using the line drawing as a guide, and first glued then carefully hand-stitched together.
	Certain small features such as eyes and mouths are embroidered. The eyes--considered to be the most difficult aspect of the work and traditionally the last skill taught to students after years of apprenticeship--are embroidered in a distinct spiral pattern, creating a realistic effect.

Finally the completed picture is framed in a silk brocade border or stretched on a frame.

Because all work is done by hand to precise standards, each thangka requires several months to complete. The layering and resulting texture of the finished work make viewers want to reach out and touch it, to get closer to it. The sacred figures seem to come to life.