Tibetan medical paintings showcased in London

10 paintings featuring the centuries-old science of Tibetan medicine were unveiled in London on Tuesday.

The pieces are all in the art of thangka, which refers to Tibetan Buddhist scroll paintings on cotton or silk, created with mineral and organic pigments. This art form, dating back to the 10th century, has been designated as a national intangible cultural heritage in China.

The displayed medical thangkas are part of a larger collection of 80 paintings, all created to illustrate a classic book of traditional Tibetan medicine named The Four Treatises, which was compiled between the 8th and 12th centuries, according to Tsering, director of the Xizang Medicine Hospital in the Xizang autonomous region.

Thangkas are now primarily used to promote education, research, and the protection of Tibetan medicine, said Tsering.