scroll painting (ritual & belief: representations)

Hanging scroll, ink and colour on patterned paper. A colophon in the top right hand corner indicates that this painting depicts Asura, a divine warrior being who inhabits one of the Buddhist Six Realms of Rebirth, descending on clouds from the sky. He has wild, spiky hair, three heads and six arms. Each of four hands hold the sun, moon, a halberd and a bow and arrow. Below him there are two judgement scenes. On the left, a demon is holding an execution sword. A man locked in a cangue is gazing at a woman who is also locked in a cangue. On the right, by the entrance to a tower gate, a demon is holding a kneeling man's hair and a staff. Next to them is a demon holding a two-pronged fork. A snake is crawling on top of the tower. At the bottom and on the left side of the painting are creatures which live on land, including an elephant, camel and horses, and creatures of the sea and air. The painting probably hung in a temple.

Collection Information

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