The Fourth King of Hell

Unknown artist, late 1300s

Download2473 × 3400 px View on a wall Edit

Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold ink on silk
Size: Image: 63 x 45.3 cm (24 13/16 x 17 13/16 in.); Overall: 136.2 x 58.9 cm (53 5/8 x 23 3/16 in.)
Culture: Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Originally part of a set of ten, this hanging scroll depicts the Fourth King of Hell. Accompanied by his secretary, the king with bulging eyes is seated at the center, overseeing how well his verdict is being conducted. On the bottom, sinners are suffering in a giant cauldron filled with boiling water, constantly pierced by a guard’s burning spears. Ready-made Buddhist paintings from China, created in professional workshops in the port city of Ningbo, are believed to one of the important inspirations for this hell scene.