Land and Water Ritual Painting 水陸法會畫
Ink and Color on Silk 絹本設色
Ming Dynasty 明(1368 – 1644)
China 中國
This painting would originally have been pair of a large set. The full set would have been used to decorate the various halls used to perform the lavish Buddhist "Liberation Rite of Water and Land", one of the most important Chinese Buddhist rituals. The ritual was conceived to "liberate" the souls trapped in the lower realms by inviting and invoking beings in the higher realms to intercede on their behalf. Interestingly, these rituals also invoked Daosit deities, which are depicted here.
這幅畫原本應該是一大組中的一對。全套本應用於裝飾用於舉行奢華的佛教“水陸法會儀式”的各種大廳，這是中國最重要的佛教儀式之一。該儀式旨在通過邀請和召喚更高領域的存在為他們調解來“解放”被困在較低領域的靈魂。有趣的是，這些儀式還召喚了畫裡描繪的道教神靈。
