Tsakali: Miniature Paintings That Map the Sacred
The term 'Tsakali' (ཙ་ཀ་ལི་ / ཙཀླི་; its origins are debated) denotes a category of miniature painting employed for religious activities and the organization of knowledge. In art history and iconography, Tsakali is regarded as one of the source forms of flat painting in the Tibetan region. The 13th-century work 'Zagali: Four-Armed Hayagriva' is associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Tsakali gradually became particularly popular in East Asia and North Asia after undergoing internal innovation in the "Himalayan-Tibetan" region, and it possesses broader functions and more flexible drawing techniques.
In the 18th-century Snowcrest Archives collection, a Western maiden rides a nine-headed bird through a graveyard of wild ghosts. Another piece, set in the northwest, depicts a rider on a pack of nine-headed jackals vengefully devouring every enemy. The collection also includes "The Indomitable Spirit of Justice: The Red-Faced Lord of Demons." In the southwest, a rider sits atop a nine-headed corpse as skeletons dance around.
In the Snowcrest Archives collection, an 18th-century work titled "The Cunning Ways of the Deceiver: The Business Owner's Poisonous Spirit" describes a being that dwells in the northeast, mounts a nine-headed bear, and destroys all who violate their vows. Zagali functions as a supporting instrument in ceremonies and instruction, conveying wisdom and creative insight through its arrangement of lines and colors. It distills intricate concepts, forges meaning, brings understanding to light, and simultaneously reveals and conceals it.
Passed down through Zagali, the secret treasures continue to enrich Tibetan culture. Zagali serves to depict deities and protectors for meditation and offerings, and also to study and convey astrology, medicine, and divination. In the Tibetan tradition, it offers a classic logic for discussing the relationship between names and phenomena, often bridging public affairs and personal experiences.
Within the Snowcrest Archives, the 18th century holds a group of works titled "Drilling Silent Fierce Grouping: Elements," alongside "Drilling Silent Fierce Grouping: Direction," "Drilling Silent Fierce Grouping: Eight Auspicious Objects," and "Drilling Silent Fierce Grouping: Eight Auspicious Harmony." From the 19th century, the same archives contain "Longqin's Heart Wrapped in Gali Set: White Elephant Treasure," "Longqin's Heart Wrapped in Gali Set: The Generals' Treasure," "Longqin's Heart Wrapped in Gali Set: The Golden Wheel Treasure," and "Longqin's Heart Wrapped in Gali Set: The Divine Treasure." These works were created on paper, silk, canvas, or leather. For the makers of mandalas, the quality of materials and the technical or stylistic details are rarely of concern, except in particular cases. The main purpose behind creating a mandala is its alignment with text and feeling. Their formal qualities tend to concentrate on a single idea, and a full set can convey a complete meaning, as seen with mandalas themselves. Such works were either placed in the hidden areas of pagodas and temples, carried on one's person, or shown with the aid of wooden sticks. Although those who once viewed them have since passed, the mandalas themselves continue to endure. Other pieces include "The Nyingma Tradition: the Thirty Zaga teachings compilation," dated to the 15th century at the Rubin Museum; "Offering to Heavenly Maidens in Zhagali Ensemble," a 16th-century piece from a private collection; a "Nepalese-style Zaghali Eight-piece Set" from the 14th century, also privately held; "Twenty-One Paintings of Benzene Religious Themes," a 15th-century work in the Tamashige Tibet Collection; "The Thirty-Nine Tibetan Ghost Themed Masks Collection," dating to the 19th century in a private collection; "Lucky Tianmu Theme Zaga Li Thirty-Six Piece Set," also from the 19th century, in the Halpert Family Collection; and "Master Like a Vajra," a 17th-century work held by The Norton Simon Museum. This piece was adapted from Sorang Wangqing's blog.