Vision of the sacred figure and space. The style of miniatures in 16th century woodcuts made in the kingdom of Mang yul Gung thang. Introductory notes.

The printing of a large number of religious texts using the woodblock technique in the kingdom of Mang yul Gung thang (South-western Tibet) in the 16th century involved the work of numerous artists. These created countless illuminations as an artistic kit for the first and last pages of many of the texts made. These images were both monochrome and polychrome, showing a varied iconographic program and a style apparently connected to that known as sMan ris. Although texts were made in several independent printing houses spread throughout the territory, the style of the illuminations seems to show at the same time a language shared by many artists and specific elements of personal styles. The present work analyses peculiar features and outlines salient aspects of the stylistic language related to these illustrations, with particular attention to artists recognised by the colophons as affiliated with the sMan ris style, places of production and commissioners.