Table 1. Tibetan color names, translations, and identified pigments.
COLOR
white
blue
Iliaht blue
Iliehter blue
blue/QreenOOTA1lQII ENGUSH SPEWNG TIBETAN COLOR NAME ENGLISH TRANSLATION
ka dkar 0 white
Iha mthina azurite
noo Isnoo Inoht blue
n� kva snno skva IJinht blue + white
loa IsoanoDO malachite'= \ 'ana sb ar ra nn "comnounded nreen"
PIGMENTS IDENTIFIED
kaolin 246
azurite (1 2 4,6\
azurite kaolin 2 3 4 6
azurite kaolin 2 3 4 6
malachite brochantite (2.4)
ornimentlreal ar indiao kaolin 1 2 3 4 6blue/oreen 1 to. , , 'ann sbvar Fana "comnnunded nreen" ornimentlreal ar indiQo kaolin (1 2 3 4 6)
Iliaht blue/eraen t=. \ '2.. 'ana kva
dark blue/ reen '= \ IXQ") 'ana naa
ellow ;:,
ellow .:) � ,
ellow " ,
briaht red '"
dark red fAA.
ink "-
ink 0( "<' na kar
oranae '" I.
1 = polarized light microscopy (PLM)
fana skva "comoounded reen" + white samole not taken
fann na "comnnunded teen" + black sam Ie not taken
seroo ellow oroiment kaolin red lead (1 24,6)
ellow samnle not taken
seroo ellow or iment kaolin red lead (1 23,6)
I rava mtshal Chinese or Indian vermilion vermilion kaolin 1 2 4 6
dmaroo ,ad analvses nendino
lac <ive + white lac dve kaolin (1^2 5 6)
na ros + dkar no lac rive + white analvses nendinn
Ii khri minium red lead calcite (1 2346
2 = Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)^4 = x-ray diffraction (XRD)
3 = electronprobe microanalysis (EPMA)^5 6 = = flUorescence x-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry (XAF)
applied; one coat on each side usually suffices. This ground is then burnished
with a stone or conch shell until ground and cloth become a flexible entity,
as is necessary fo r a rolled painting. Next, the underdrawing is rendered upon
the ground layer, a process that can take several steps and different methods
of application. Once the underdrawing is finalized, the painter often indicates
colors with notations before painting begins.
All twenty-three Shambhala paintings have grounds in which magnesite
(MgC03) is the only constituent. FTIR and, in some cases, XRD established
this fa ct. Three of the several major deposits of magnesium carbonate world
wide are located in the Sheng-king province of Manchuria, Liao-Tung pen
insula, and Taikwayodo, Korea (4).The FTIR spectra of the ground and pigment samples do not indicate any
type of binding medium, which is not surprising given their lean nature (low
binder to pigment ratios). Analysis of several samples by HPLC indicated the
presence of animal glue. Due to the small size of the samples, the ground
layer could not be separated from the upper pigment layer. It is assumed that
both layers contain a glue binder. Yak glue, made from the remains of the
most common beast of burden on the Tibetan plateau, is generally considered
the most probable binder (5).Color names
For easier referral, transliterations of Tibetan color names are given in paren
theses fo llowing color codes. For the actual color codes written in Tibetan
dbu. med script, refer to Table 1. The approximate height of the color codes
is 2-3 mm.White. The color code fo r white is ka (d kar po) (6). This notation is fo und
on all twenty-three Shambhala paintings. Ka is used fo r clouds, offering tusks,
garments, jewels, and conch shells. FTIR analyses of fo ur samples and an
XRD analysis of one sample indicated a clay mineral of the kaolin family.
The analyses suggest that the clay is a hydrated alumino-silicate closest in
characteristics to metahalloysite. This same type of clay, identified as kaolin
throughout this paper, is also fo und as a component in several colored
mixtures.Blues. IRR uncovered the dbu.med character tha (mthing), meaning azurite
(7). Tha is observed on twenty Shambhala paintings and is used fo r the sky,
rock crags, jewels, and garments. Coarsely ground azurite was identified by
PLM, XRD, and FTIR on five of the paintings. Jackson and Jackson state
that the main deposit fo r azurite in Tibet was Snye-mo-thang in Gtsang (8).Duffy and Elgar^79