Dragon — Soga Nichokuan (Japanese) — The Cleveland Museum of Art · Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund · CC0. Museum object record ↗

Painting study · Ink painting

Dragonearly to mid-1600s · Study 1985.134.1

Soga Nichokuan (Japanese)
early to mid-1600s

Recorded as six-panel folding screen; ink, slight color, gold, and silver on paper, this horizontal work measures 304.8 × 158.1 cm using the museum’s image dimensions. Explore the museum’s context and compare the format with a wall of your choice.

Explore its scale ↓Shop Lei-Kol paintings

Museum collection reference. This work is not offered for sale by Physical Art For Crypto. Museum attribution does not imply a partnership or endorsement.

Context from the museum

A dragon dives through clouds on this screen, while on the other screen, a tiger looks upon a waterfall as it prowls out of a bamboo grove. Tiger and dragon are traditional symbols of the balancing forces in the world, yin (the feminine aspect) and yang (the masculine aspect). This painting has a signature and seals, identifying it as a work by Soga Nichokuan, a painter thought to be from Sakai (near Osaka), and known primarily for his representations of hawk-eagles ( kumataka ).

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 Dragon is 304.8 cm wide and 158.1 cm high, equivalent to approximately 120.0 × 62.2 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.93:1. The rectangular bounding area is 4.82 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 101.6% of the span before adding a frame. That exceeds the example wall width, so a smaller reference wall would not reproduce the recorded scale. 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 Dragon in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, six-panel folding screen; ink, slight color, gold, and silver on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
Would a 304.8 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?

Explore physical scale

How large would this format feel on your wall?

Use this museum work’s recorded format as a reference. Adjust a blank wall and optional frame allowance to compare proportions. The museum painting is an educational reference and is not for sale here.

Units

Wall width (cm)

Wall height (cm)

Frame each side (cm)

101.6%of wall width, including allowance

304.8 × 158.1 cmmodeled outside dimensions

Exceeds the entered wall dimensionsThe painting extends beyond the pale wall rectangle.

Calculation: outside width = recorded width + twice your frame allowance. This is a proportion study, not an installation assessment. It excludes furniture, hardware, load capacity, depth and delivery clearance. The display image may include margins absent from the recorded measurement.

Compare formats with the studio collection

These Lei-Kol works have the closest width-to-height ratios in the current catalog. This is a geometry comparison, not a claim of artistic similarity, equivalent value, or association with the museum artist.