Provenance
A painted image can be copied in a week. What cannot be copied is the record of who made it and when. That record is assembled as the work is painted — it is not written afterwards, and it is not written by whoever is selling it.
8 fields · signed & sealed
The dossier is bound into the crate, not left loose in a pocket. It travels with the work.
What the dossier records
Eight fields. Three of them are the ones that make the record checkable rather than decorative.
- Painter of record
- Named, not a studio attribution. The painter who opened the eyes is the painter of record, and the dossier carries their name and studio.
- Studio of origin
- The workshop where the work was painted, with the workshop's own reference number for the piece.
- Pigment schedule
- Each mineral used, its source, and where in the composition it appears — malachite in the lotus, lapis in the robe, and so on.
- Gold weight
- The measured weight of leaf applied, in grams. This is the single figure most often asked about and the one most often omitted elsewhere.
- Dimensions
- The painted area, measured edge to edge, before any mounting or framing is added.
- Dates
- The month work began and the date the eyes were opened.
- Consecration lineage
- Where the work was consecrated, if you have asked us to arrange it, and by whom. This is optional and we will not claim it for a work it did not happen to.
- Exhibition history
- For Series II works only, and only where there is something to record. Blank fields are left blank rather than filled in with wording that implies more.
What we will not claim
Much of what is sold as thangka is sold with language that survives no follow-up question. These are the claims we do not make, because we cannot stand behind them.
We do not date works earlier than they are
Every work in the catalogue is a contemporary commission. Nothing here is offered as antique, and nothing here has been artificially aged.
We do not sign on behalf of a painter
The painter of record signs their own work. If they decline to be named, the work is not listed.
We do not inflate gold weight
Gold is weighed, not estimated. The figure in the dossier is the figure on the studio's scale.
We do not grade condition in-house
If a work has been restored at any point, the restoration is described and the conservator is named. We are the seller, not the assessor.
We do not claim a lineage we did not verify
Consecration is arranged only on request, and the dossier records nothing if it did not happen.
We do not withhold the painter's studio
The studio of origin is in the dossier so that the record can be checked independently of us.
With every acquisition
These apply to every work in the catalogue, on both series, without exception.
Certificate of Authenticity
Every work ships with a signed dossier recording deity, lineage, pigments, gold weight and the painter of record.
Provenance Dossier
Studio of origin, date of completion, consecration lineage and, where applicable, exhibition and publication history.
Worldwide Insured Shipping
Museum-grade packing, fully insured door-to-door, with customs documentation prepared on your behalf.
Private Returns Window
Live with the work for 14 days. If it is not right, return it for a full refund.
Shipping, insurance and the returns window are set out in full in the shipping policy and the returns policy.
Ask about a specific work
If you want the pigment schedule or the gold weight before committing, write to us with the work and we will send it.