Bamboo and Insectslate 1100s · Study 1964.154

Context from the museum

Wu Bing, a native of Piling, gained Empress Li’s favor and served as a painter-in-attendance at the court in Hangzhou during the Shaoxi reign (1190–94). The round fan painting shows a dragonfly hovering over a stalk of bamboo, a bush cricket ( luowei ) perching on a leaf, and a flying wasp. Yellow leaf tips suggest the late summer or early autumn season. The chirping of the cricket sounds similar to the sound of a working loom; the insect is therefore also called weaving lady ( fangzhi niang ). The weaving season starts when the weather is about to turn cold—the cricket symbolizes early autumn.

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

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected image measurement for Bamboo and Insects is 26.8 cm wide and 24.8 cm high, equivalent to approximately 10.6 × 9.8 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.08:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.07 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 8.9% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 136.6 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 Bamboo and Insects in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Album leaf; fan painting, ink on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 26.8 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?