Typology of drawn frames in Sixteenth century Mang yul Gung thang Xylographs

This article presents some preliminary results of the study of the drawn frames found in the title pages of 16th-century Tibetan xylographs from the kingdom of Mang yul Gung thang (South-western Tibet). Usually the title pages of Gung thang prints have very similar and characteristic drawn frames, which are typical of xylographs printed in this area in the 16th century. They may vary from a simple to a more elaborated design, which may differ even in xylographs produced at the same printing house. Title pages have been examined by the authors with the aim of understanding whether the different designs of drawings could be associated with a certain artist or a certain printing house. A description of identified types of drawings and minor variations is provided in the article. An appendix with information on artists working on title frames is also included.