Heron on a Willow Branchlate 1700s · Study 1997.108

Context from the museum

Okyo was the most influential painter and teacher of his time in Kyoto. His mastery of brush and ink found expression in a variety of Chinese and Japanese subjects, painting styles, and formats. This depiction of a heron on a willow branch is done in a classical Japanese painting ( yamato-e ) style, utilizing flat areas of colorful pigments set against an expansive background with little or no spatial depth.

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 Heron on a Willow Branch is 185 cm wide and 69.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 72.8 × 27.3 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 2.67:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.28 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 61.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 57.5 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 Heron on a Willow Branch in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Two-panel folding screen; ink, color, lacquer, and gold on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 185 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?