Hanging scroll painting of scenes of hell. This painting depicts the King of Equality, Ping Deng Huang, one of the Ten Kings of Hell who is depicted ruling the Eighth Court of Hell in some Buddhist paintings, but in Daoist paintings is represented as the judge in the Ninth Court of Hell. The King of Equality is seated, fanned by a young male attendant and with two assisting judges standing beside him. In front of him are two kneeling ladies, flanked on the right by one underworld official holding a scroll and on the left by two standing underworld officials. One of these is holding a fan inscribed with 'shang shan fa e', which translates as 'Rewarding good deeds, punishing evil'. Depicted below are several scenes of hell.
The depictions of hell on the scroll are as follows, from left to right and top to bottom: 1. A seated underworld official with bare chest and belly is drinking, while a man and a woman present a gold ingot and a silver ingot to him. A demon guard is standing behind him. 2. Six men tied around a burning pit are tortured by the heat, while a woman and a demon guard are watching. 3. A man is being sawn into two halves by two demon guards, while a dismembered body is lain on the floor. 4. A demon guard is hammering nails into the back of a man tied to a tree, while one underworld official and an attendant holding a tea cup are watching. Another demon guard at the back is holding a hammer. 5. Four men are tortured by a whirling machine; all have blood coming out of their mouths. 6. A man is tied with his hands and feet together, his belly resting on the floor and large sacks filled with rocks placed on his back.
