A Beautyc. 1810 · Study 1985.256

Context from the museum

Many ukiyo-e paintings and prints focus on bijin (美人), or “beautiful people.” Female courtesans and entertainers were the main draw in the pleasure district of Edo (now Tokyo), but young men were also available. The poem here reads as follows: "The full blooming cherry / is not the only flower worth mentioning. / The color of the young plum tree / blooms as well." The full blooming cherry is a metaphor for mature women, and the plum for young men.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The handsome youth in the painting is accompanied by a boy carrying a plum branch.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for A Beauty is 31 cm wide and 94 cm high, equivalent to approximately 12.2 × 37.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.33:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.29 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 10.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 134.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With A Beauty in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 31 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?