Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 22

This leaf is part of an important album of 50 drawings encompassing three subjects: processions of Daoist deities to the celestial spheres, the Ten Kings of Hell, and Erlang’s Campaign to Rid Mount Guankou of Dangerous Beasts ( soushan tu 搜山圖). This section of the Daoist pantheon shows a group of “kings” known as the Five Manifestations (right to left): Guangji 廣濟王, Guangcheng 廣成王, Guangyou 廣祐王, Guanghui 廣惠王, and Guangze 廣澤王. The artist chose for an unknown reason to put the fifth king, Guocheng, between kings number 1 and number 2.