Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Kings of Hells: Leaf 291200s · Study 2004.1.29

Context from the museum

This leaf belongs to the album’s second series of narratives, Ten Kings of Hells . It demonstrates a Chinese-Buddhist approach in which the netherworld is divided into ten realms, each ruled by one of these kings. This particular version portrays the king in a benevolent guise, though his identity remains unclear. He is draped in a robe and holds an ivory plaque. A vertical scroll hangs to his left, depicting in the lower two-thirds a rectangular architectural plan with buildings aligned in a symmetrical arrangement not unlike a Buddhist temple or a Confucian shrine. Above, the scene also features a building and could show a specific mountain. One of the Ten Kings is known as the King of Taishan (or Mt. Tai). This depiction would represent a unique treatment of the king, not shared with other renditions of the same figure elsewhere.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

This King of Hell wears a hat with two slender side arms—similar to the headgear worn by Song dynasty emperors.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting measurement for Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Kings of Hells: Leaf 29 is 38.4 cm wide and 34 cm high, equivalent to approximately 15.1 × 13.4 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.13:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.13 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 12.8% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 130.8 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Kings of Hells: Leaf 29 in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Album; ink on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 38.4 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?