The Fourth King of Hell
Unknown Artist
late 1300s
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold ink on silk
Dimensions
136.2 × 58.9 cm · image: 63 × 45.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Korean Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund and museum purchase from various donors by exchange and Partial Gift of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Roberta Carroll, M.D.
Accession Number
2019.224
About this artwork
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 be prototypes for this Korea...