Irises1700s · Study 1954.603.2

Context from the museum

The subject of this painting comes from a 10th-century text. It tells of a young nobleman’s journey into the lonely countryside, far from the capital city of Heian-kyō (Kyoto). There he came upon a small stream, the banks of which were covered with blooming irises, on which the artist has chosen to focus our attention. While viewing the beautiful flowers the nobleman composed a poem: I have a beloved wife, Familiar as the skirt of a well-worn robe, And so this distant journeying Fills my heart with grief.

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 Irises is 360.4 cm wide and 154.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 141.9 × 60.8 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 2.33:1. The rectangular bounding area is 5.56 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 120.1% 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 Irises 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 pair of six-panel folding screens, ink and color on gilded paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 360.4 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?