Buddhist Ritual Instruction Card (Tsakali) c. 13th century

This Buddhist ritual instruction card, or Tsakali, was painted by an anonymous artist using opaque watercolor on paper. Look closely, and you’ll notice the artist has carefully built up layers of color to depict the central deity, seated atop a horse. The pigment has a matte, earthy quality, which speaks to its origins from natural sources like minerals, plants, or insects. Grinding these materials to a fine powder and mixing them with a binding agent like glue or egg yolk would have been a labor-intensive process, usually undertaken by skilled artisans within monastic communities. The card's small size and portable nature suggest it was a personal object, meant to be carried and consulted during meditation or ritual practice. The act of creating and using such an object was itself considered a form of spiritual discipline, with each brushstroke imbued with intention. The Tsakali stands as a testament to the intimate relationship between art, craft, and religious practice.