Page 93 - Tibetan Thangka Painting Methodsand Mat, Jackson

20. Traditional sources relate, for instance, that a 38. 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.50.
deposit of vermilion was discovered in Lho-brag at a
time that coincided with the birth of Sman-thang-pa 39. Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, p.86.
Sman-bla-don-grub in the early 15th century. See
for instance Dagyab, p.37. 40. Mehra, p.208. The paintings with ';iron oxide"
reds were numbers 245, 246, 307 and 311.
21. 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.59: rgya gar nag las byung ba'i
phyir rgya mtshal yang zero But Hodgson, p.l09, 41. The process for making lime is briefly described in
estimated that in 1830-31 no India vermilion was 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.53.
exported to Tibet by way of Nepal. However, he
thought that about one-fourth of the mercury 42. Mehra, p.209.
that reached Nepal from India was re-exported to
Tibet. 43. Ms Ann Shafter informed us that some analyses of
thangka pigments done for her have indicated the
22. Li Ch'iao-p'ing, The Chemical Arts of Old China presence of white lead. Hodgson, p.l09, estimated
(Easton, Pa., 1948), p.133. that one-fourth of the white lead imported from
India to Nepal in 1830-31 was re-exported to Tibet.
23. Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China
(Cambridge, 1954-1959), vol.5, part 3, pp.74, 126. 44. Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, p.7 Sf. The text
seems corrupt in places, and it contains a number
24. 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.71. of unattested terms. Most of the botanical equiva-
lents in the translation are from Bod ljongs rgyun
25. Ibid. A third name for synthetic cinnabar was spyod krung dbyi'i sman rigs (Peking, 1973).
"vermilion salt" (mtshal tshwa). Mtshal-dkar is
mentioned as a pigment in Bo-dong, Mkhas pa, 45. See Li Ch'iao-p'ing, pp.119-132.
vol.2, p.256.6. Dil-dmar dge-bshes seems to have
used the term mtshal dkar also to indicate just a 46. Mehra, p.209.
brighter quality of vermilion. See his Bdud rtsi
sman, p.118. Compare also the use of the term 47. Dagyab, pA8.
mtshal nag by 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.59.
48. Gettens and Stout, p.116.
26. Li Ch'iao-p'ing, p.134.
49. Dagyab, pAS.
27. Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, p.86.
50. Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, p.84.3.
28. Li Ch'iao-p'ing, p.134.
51. On this mineral see 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.54. One of
29. 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.59. the characteristics of the mineral was that it did not
quickly dissolve into a yogurt-like liquid when
30. 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.61. See also the reference by ground, unlike minerals such as limestone.
Tucci, voLl, p.278, to the importation of this
pigment from India in the 17th century. Here 52. For other references to these wheat or grain glues
li-khri should have been translated as "minium" see Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, pp.75.6, 89.1;
not as "carmine". Strangely, Hodgson, p.l09, Dagyab, pAS.
thought that no "China red lead" or "country red
lead" that reached Nepal from India in 1830-1831 53. Mi-pham rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, p.84.5.
was exported again to Tibet. But on white lead see
below, note 43. 54. Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, p.84f.
31. 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.61. 55. The term zar khu'i snum rtsi is used by Mi-pham-
rgya-mtsho, Bzo gnas, p.89.3.
32. Gettens and Stout, p.I29.
56. Bo-dong, Mkhas pa, vol.2, p.262f. Sum-pa mkhan-
33. Moti Chandra, The Technique of Mughal Painting po, p.399.2, also gives a brief description of the
(Lucknow, 1949), p.21. process, although the text available to us is imposs-
ible to read in places. For a more recent account
34. Li Ch'iao-p'ing, p.136. see Dagyab, pAS.
35. 'Jam-dpal-rdo-rje, p.60. 57. Bo-don,g,Mkhas pa, vol.2, p.262.

36. Ibid. 58. See Dagyab, pAS.

37. Gettens and Stout, p.135. 59. Ibid.

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