Chinese Literatus Traveling to a Mountain Templelate 1500s · Study 2015.480

Context from the museum

This painting bears the seal of Kano Hidemasa, believed to be the son of Kano Hideyori (active mid- to late 1500s) of the important and prolific Kano family of painters. It features a traveler and his servant in a Chinese setting. The two are on their way to a temple up the stairs, climbing the steep slope of the mountain ahead of them. The traveler, who wears clerical garb, has paused to admire and listen to the sound of a nearby waterfall. The painting is a charming interpretation of a scene that might be found in Song dynasty album leaves imported to Japan.

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

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting measurement for Chinese Literatus Traveling to a Mountain Temple is 30.5 cm wide and 41.8 cm high, equivalent to approximately 12.0 × 16.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.73:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.13 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 10.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 134.8 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 Chinese Literatus Traveling to a Mountain Temple 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 light color on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 30.5 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?