Flowers and Birds in a Spring Landscape1500s · Study 1970.6.1

Context from the museum

These four paintings originally decorated sliding doors that partitioned the interiors of Japanese buildings. Painters from the Kano school, named after the artist Kano Motonobu (1476–1559), were major forces in the production of screens and architectural interiors in Kyoto. When he headed the workshop, his work was prized by the upper strata of society. Kano is credited with combining the subtlety of Chinese black ink painting, as seen in the rocks and hills, with the color and realism of Japanese painting, seen in the birds and flowers. Landscape scenes like this were prized by the elite of Kyoto, both for their contemplative aesthetic and their patrons’ refined taste.

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

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for Flowers and Birds in a Spring Landscape is 137.1 cm wide and 177.1 cm high, equivalent to approximately 54.0 × 69.7 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.77:1. The rectangular bounding area is 2.43 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 45.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 81.5 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 Flowers and Birds in a Spring Landscape in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, One of a set of sliding door panels mounted as hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 137.1 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?