Cleansing Medicinal Herbs in the Stream on a Spring Day1703 · Study 2000.69

Context from the museum

A famous portraitist, Yu Zhiding here depicts the likeness of Shi Shenyi 史申義 (1661–1712), an official and poet. Master Shi, a sickly man, was deeply interested in medicinal science. The opening section of the scroll features a boy washing a fungus in fresh spring water, a basket of medicinal herbs by his side. Other servants carry a fan, a bundle of scrolls, and a cup of tea or hot wine. Master Shi sits in a bamboo grove, surrounded by fields of herbs. Returning swallows, pink peach blossoms, and blooming magnolia indicate spring, whereas the fungus conveys wishes for long life. The spring theme may express the artist’s wish for his friend’s recovery.

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

A detail to notice

In the pavilion are some of Shi Shenyi’s scholarly accoutrements: a stack of books, an antique zun 尊 (wine vessel), a brush holder, an ink stone, and a small chime.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for Cleansing Medicinal Herbs in the Stream on a Spring Day is 132.5 cm wide and 36.2 cm high, equivalent to approximately 52.2 × 14.3 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 3.66:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.48 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 44.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 83.8 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 Cleansing Medicinal Herbs in the Stream on a Spring Day in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Handscroll; ink and color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 132.5 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?