A TIBETAN MEDICAL CHART, 17TH-18TH CENTURY Tibet. Distemper on cloth. Painted with anatomical diagrams, inscribed and labeled in Tibetan script, a row of figures of lamas wearing red and orange robes and striking various poses along the top, a mantra inscribed in large red characters to the reverse. Condition: Extensive wear, soiling, losses, fading to colors, creases. Provenance: British private collection. Dimensions: 72 x 46 cm The fundamental text of Tibetan medicine is the Tantra of Secret Instructions on the Eight Branches, the Essence of the Elixir of Immortality and commonly abridged as Four Tantras. These tantras are not four separate treatises but the same medical doctrine from four perspectives. The 'Root Tantra' encompasses the teachings of Bhaisajyaguru and the origins of diagnosis and treatment. The 'Exegetical Tantra' covers aspects as diverse as anatomy, physiology, diet, and herbology. The 'Instructional Tantra' serves as a manual for techniques and diagnosis while the 'Subsequent Tantra' builds on the former adding pulse techniques, divination, demonic possession and urinalysis. The paintings are an extension of the Four Tantras appearing as part of the commentary written by Sangye Gyamtso, Regent to the Fifth Dalai Lama, in 1687-88, and entitled The Blue Beryl. Sangye Gyamtso was entrusted by the Fifth Dalai Lama to codify the histories and traditions in medicine from the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism into one centralized source. The first set of 62 medical paintings appeared in 1688. The publication of The Blue Beryl later resulted in Regent Sangye Gyamtso's founding of the Chagpori College of medicine in 1696 on the Iron Hill adjacent to the Potala Palace. Literature comparison: For an in-depth discussion of Tibetan medical practice and further illustrations, see A. Aris (ed.), Tibetan Medical Paintings: Illustrations to the Blue Beryl Treatise of Sangye Gyamtso (1653-1705), 1992. See also some 17th century examples of medical charts in the Norbulingka Collection illustrated in Tresors du Tibet, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1987, pl.86-93.