Thangka paintings have become popular as wall art, and a lot of what is sold online or in tourist shops is actually printed on canvas and then touched up with a bit of gold paint. If you are looking for a real one, a few simple checks help.

First, look at the edges and the fine lines up close. A hand-painted thangka has slightly raised paint, tiny brush marks and lines that change thickness a little. A print looks perfectly flat, and under a magnifying glass you can often see a dot pattern.

Second, check the back of the canvas. On a painted piece the cotton is primed with gesso, so the back usually shows some colour bleeding or uneven texture. A print has a clean, uniform back.

Third, look at the gold. Real 24k gold work is applied in thin layers and burnished, so it catches light softly instead of looking glittery like metallic ink.

Faces and eyes are another giveaway. The eyes are traditionally painted last, and on a good piece they look sharp and alive, with very fine detail around them.

If you want to compare against a reference, it helps to look at shops that explain their painting process and list the artist and materials. For example, the Buy authentic thangka painting page at Nepa Thangka shows the kind of detail worth asking about before you pay.

Hope this saves someone from paying hand-painted prices for a print.