Gold has a special place in thangka art. In finer works the painter applies 24 carat gold, ground into a fine powder and mixed with glue, for halos, jewellery, robe borders and the thin outlines around figures. After it dries the gold is polished with a smooth stone or an agate tool, which gives it a soft glow that changes as you move around the painting.

Some styles go further. A gold thangka, called serthang, uses gold as the background with the figures drawn in fine red or black lines, and these take far longer to make. Buy authentic thangka painting with gold work only after viewing it under a lamp from the side: real burnished gold shows depth and a warm tone, while bronze or metallic paint looks brassy and flat and often darkens with time.

Gold work is also a good test of patience in the artist. Even, unbroken fine lines across the whole painting usually mean an experienced hand, and that care tends to carry through the rest of the piece too.

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