Karmapa with his footprints

The cursory drawing, silk support (silk is a material that can easily be folded into a small package), and fold marks on this image indicate that it was once inserted into a sculpture as part of the consecratory contents. Exuberantly drawn and highlighted with soft color, the Karmapa and his footprints are surrounded by the Eight Auspicious Symbols. Vines, which sprout from the central lotus stalk, meander up the sides of the thangka and form roundels that individually enclose each symbol. Everything is sheltered by a large parasol of honor, a symbolic element that appears on a number of early silk footprint thangkas.