PROPERTY OF VARIOUS OWNERS AnonymousKing of Hell, 16th/17th century Ink and color on silk, mounted framed and glazed. 55 x 36 7/8in (139 x 93.6cm) 佚名 閻羅圖 設色絹本 鏡框 十六/十七世紀 This painting likely once belonged to a set of ten, and it illustrates the severe process of the afterlife. According to tradition, the dead journey for three years facing a total of ten different Kings of Hell, each meting punishment for one's worldly sins. As seen in this scroll, demons carry instruments of torture, and the punishment is especially visceral. However, in the upper right corner, Guanyin arrives on a cloud, offering salvation to the damned. All eyes turn towards her splendid presence, and even the King of Hell bows in respect. See https://harvardartmuseums.org/article/reigning-over-a-hellish-bureaucracy for set of five King of Hell paintings dated to the 15th/16th century in the collection of Harvard University .