• Joseon Dynasty, 16th century
• Color on hemp
• jng 7551

This painting hung during the performance of a Buddhist ritual intended to send nourishment to those who were believed to suffer from afterlife starvation. Hungry ghosts occupy the center of the painting, and their living family members, monks playing musical instruments and dancing, and descending Buddhas and bodhisattvas also appear in the painting. This painting clearly communicates the purpose, sequence, and content of the ritual, suggesting that it was displayed for general congregations of devotees who attended the ritual. This pictorial subject began to appear frequently from early Joseon and came to testify to the distinctiveness of Joseon’s Buddhist ritual painting.