Figure Mooring a Boatmid-1500s · Study 2015.474

Context from the museum

Kannan is a little-known painter of the Kanto region. Close inspection of this quiet scene suggests that it represents the “night rain over Xiao and Xiang” scene from the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers. The style of the painting is similar to some works from Korea; as Japanese and Korean monk-painters traveled back and forth between one another’s monastic communities during the 1400s and 1500s, Kannan surely had the opportunity to consider incorporating Korean stylistic features into his work.

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 Figure Mooring a Boat is 23.9 cm wide and 28 cm high, equivalent to approximately 9.4 × 11.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.85:1. 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 8.0% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 138.1 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 Figure Mooring a Boat 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 on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 23.9 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?