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| ▲ This photo of a portion of the "Ten Kings of Hell" (Siwangdo) paintings is provided by the National Museum of Korea and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. These works will be exhibited starting August 1, 2025, in the special exhibition "New Nation, New Art: Masterpieces of Early Joseon Painting." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- A rare Joseon-era painting depicting Yeomla—the ruler of the underworld—has returned to Korea from Japan and will be shown to the public for the first time.
The National Museum of Korea and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation announced Thursday that a portion of the "Ten Kings of Hell" (Siwangdo) paintings will be exhibited starting August 1 in the special exhibition "New Nation, New Art: Masterpieces of Early Joseon Painting."
The Siwangdo paintings, recovered recently from Japan, depict the ten kings who judge the souls of the dead. Thought to have been created during the early Joseon period, the set is considered a cultural treasure due to its completeness—each king is represented in a separate panel.
Only two such complete sets from the early Joseon era are known to exist; the other remains in a Japanese temple.
Three paintings from the series will be on display: King Yama (the fifth judge), King Byeonseong (the sixth), and King Pyeongdeung (who judges souls on the 100th day after death).
In the depiction of King Yama, a sinner is shown being led by demons to view their past misdeeds through a mirror—a vivid portrayal that includes animals like cows, chickens, and ducks, commonly seen in Korean Siwangdo since the Goryeo era.
King Byeonseong's panel integrates the Buddhist idea of “rebirth through lotus flowers” (Yeonhwa Hwasaeng), showing a boiling cauldron (symbolizing hell) from which a figure emerges bathed in light and surrounded by lotus petals—an unusually hopeful twist.
“This painting doesn’t stop at illustrating suffering in hell; it goes further to depict redemption,” a museum official said.
The painting of King Pyeongdeung features a scroll listing the soul’s sins being weighed on a scale—a striking visual metaphor for judgment.
Alongside these works, the museum will rotate several other key artifacts beginning August 5, including the National Treasure "Punch’ong Ware Bottle with Fish and Lotus Design in White Slip," known for its elegant depiction of fish among lotus buds.
Also featured will be "Painting of a Mother Dog and Pups" by 16th-century artist Yi Am, and a printed ritual manual "Suryuk Mucha Pyeongdeungjaeui Chwaryo" commissioned by the wife of King Sejong’s fifth son, Prince Gwangpyeong.
Admission will be free from August 5 to 10 to celebrate the exhibition update.
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