4 CONCLUSION

TIBETAN THANGKAS are complex in both iconography and technical construction. It is imperative that they be conserved with the whole concept in mind rather than treated part by part, each part a separate technical problem. As when dealing with other ethnographic materials, conservators dealing with Tibetan thangkas must be fully aware of their religious and cultural aspects before attempting any treatment. The results of inappropriate conservation methods may well prove that the cure is worse than the disease.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

THE AUTHOR is indebted to The Venerable Ch�gyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, and The Vajra Regent �sel Tendzin, as well as to Noedrup Rongae, master painter. The staff of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, have been most cooperative. Garry Thomson offered initial encouragement.