Stele of a King of Hell

This stone relief depicts a central seated deity wearing a traditional Chinese official or judicial cap and robes, holding an object in one hand while resting on a raised platform. The figure is framed by two attendants on each side, who appear to be carrying ritual implements or documents. The scene is set beneath a canopy of carved, heavy drapes that frame the upper edge of the rectangular composition. The figures are rendered in a static, formal style common to Song Dynasty funerary steles, with weathered facial features and deeply incised lines indicating their garments.

This artwork represents one of the Ten Kings of Hell (Shiwang), a central concept in Chinese Buddhism and folk religion which posits a post-mortem bureaucracy that judges the souls of the deceased. The imagery is deeply rooted in the 'Scripture of the Ten Kings', a text popularized during the Tang and Song dynasties to influence mortuary rituals.