Tibetan art comprises ancient pre-Buddhist decorative and domestic crafts and the all-pervading religious art that was gradually introduced from the 8th century onward from surrounding Buddhist countries and developed subsequently as recognizably distinct Tibetan imagery, sculpture, and decorative architectural motifs.

Tibetan was developed as a literary language from the 7th century onward as a result of earlier cultural contacts with neighbouring Buddhist countries.

The Tibetans have adopted a preference for artistic elements to decorate the surroundings. 

From the 7th to 9th centuries there survive pre-Buddhist carved-stone pillars decorated with Chinese, Central Asian, and Indian motifs and also a stone lion showing traces of Persian influence. 

Temple interiors are usually covered with frescoes and mystical murals.

For temples, monasteries, and official residences such as the Potala Palace of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa, the Tibetans used their own solid indigenous styles but embellished these with Indian, Nepalese, and Chinese motifs.