Flowers and Rocks1368–1644 · Study 1915.116

Context from the museum

Here, the painter uses delicate brushwork and vivid colors to depict an early summer scene of three kinds of flowers growing beside a garden rock: From top to bottom we see flowering pomegranate, then peonies, and lilies below. Like the peony, which conveys wishes for wealth and prosperity, the pomegranate flower, here in festive red color turning soon into fruit with many seeds, is associated with the wish for many sons. The lily, in Chinese " baihe, " is a homophone with the pun "togetherness for a hundred years," expressing wishes for harmony and unity. The scroll would have made a suitable gift to married women.

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

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for Flowers and Rocks is 48.6 cm wide and 162.6 cm high, equivalent to approximately 19.1 × 64.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.30:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.79 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 16.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 125.7 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 Rocks in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, hanging scroll; color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 48.6 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?