• Joseon Dynasty, 16th century
• Color on silk
• Nezu Museum

Kshitigarbha and hell scenes appear together in a single pictorial plane. Kshitigarbha and his congregation, in the upper register, are drawn in white ink on the red background; a variety of hell scenes are painted in polychrome in the lower register. Line drawings were frequently adopted in sixteenth-century paintings sponsored by the royal house. Yellow or white ink was sometimes substituted for gold ink due to its limited affordability. The combination of Kshitigarbha and hell scenes below him follows the composition of the Illustration of the Sutra of Great Vows of Kshitigarbha that was completed in 1575 under royal patronage. This picture attests to the widespread practice of emulating the royal conventions of painting.

Exhibition period July 22. - August 31.