page_title: Conservation and restoration of Tibetan thangkas
section_title: Akshobhya Buddha in his Abhirati Heaven thanka by Julie Goldman
hierarchical_section_title: Conservation and restoration of Tibetan thangkas / Case studies / Akshobhya Buddha in his Abhirati Heaven thanka by Julie Goldman
caption_attribution_description: English: 15th century Thangka restoration
context_page_description: The conservation and restoration of Tibetan thangkas is the physical preservation of the traditional religious Tibetan painting form known as a thangka. When applied to thangkas of significant cultural heritage, this activity is generally undertaken by a conservator-restorer.
  Thangkas are scroll painting that are vertical in format, usually in a size that is easy rolled up, often about half to one and a half meters high, although large thangkas for special ceremonies can require dozens of people to unroll and display them. Like religious wall paintings, thangkas are considered to function as intermediaries between the mortal and divine worlds.
  The thangka started off as a traditional Nepalese art form. This form was originally exported to Tibet after Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal married Songtsän Gampo. In the early days, these painted scrolls became very popular with travelling monks because of their portability. During the Ming and Qing Dynasty, the painting of thangkas flourished in Tibet.
context_section_description: Ashobhya Buddha in his Eastern Pure Land of Abhirati Heaven Thankga 
  Museum: LACMA
  For exhibition: Tibet Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet
  Treatment for piece:
  Surface cleaning
  Humidification to remove creases due to the initial rolled storage method
  Losses were meant (but not painted in)
  Change the cotton support to an adapted Japanese-style drying board a karibari
  Adding new silk borders dyed to match its initial colors.
caption: 15th century Thangka restoration
exif: {}