Album of Seasonal Landscapes1684 · Study 1955.37

Context from the museum

Zha Shibiao, a native of Anhui province, moved to Yangzhou later in his career, like so many of his fellow countrymen. At age 68, he painted this album with seasonal landscapes in various styles. Painted in fresh colors and wet strokes, all depict typical scenes of Jiangnan, the Yangzi delta: a herdboy on a buffalo wading through water, boating on the stream to the Peach Blossom Spring at Wulin, a waterfront town shrouded in mist, a scholar on his donkey enjoying the red autumn leaves, and drinking tea on a boat while watching migrating birds.

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

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for Album of Seasonal Landscapes is 39.4 cm wide and 29.9 cm high, equivalent to approximately 15.5 × 11.8 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.32:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.12 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 13.1% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 130.3 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 Album of Seasonal Landscapes in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Album of twelve leaves; ink or ink and light color on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 39.4 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?