Leaping Carp — Liu Jie (Chinese, c. 1447–1520s) — The Cleveland Museum of Art · John L. Severance Fund · CC0. Museum object record ↗

Painting study · Ink painting

Leaping Carp1368–1644 · Study 1977.55

Liu Jie (Chinese, c. 1447–1520s)
1368–1644

Recorded as hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, this vertical work measures 83.7 × 140.5 cm using the museum’s image dimensions. Explore the museum’s context and compare the format with a wall of your choice.

Explore its scale ↓Shop Lei-Kol paintings

Museum collection reference. This work is not offered for sale by Physical Art For Crypto. Museum attribution does not imply a partnership or endorsement.

Context from the museum

With a fine ink line and graded wash, the life-like depiction of these swiftly moving carp is representative of the high quality of works by Liu Jie, a Ming dynasty court painter known for his fish paintings. The artist’s signature and seal are in the painting’s top left corner. The carp is an auspicious and popular subject in Chinese painting. Here, the leaping carp can be associated with “a carp jumping the dragon gate,” which according to mythology transforms into a dragon, emblematic of a scholar’s success in passing the civil service examinations. Another reading suggests that this carp is not leaping but guiding his offspring in worshipping heaven.

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

A detail to notice

The clusters of geometric leaves painted with mineral pigments are likely water caltrap.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected image measurement for Leaping Carp is 83.7 cm wide and 140.5 cm high, equivalent to approximately 33.0 × 55.3 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.60:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.18 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 27.9% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 108.2 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 Leaping Carp 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 and color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
Would a 83.7 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?

Explore physical scale

How large would this format feel on your wall?

Use this museum work’s recorded format as a reference. Adjust a blank wall and optional frame allowance to compare proportions. The museum painting is an educational reference and is not for sale here.

Units

Wall width (cm)

Wall height (cm)

Frame each side (cm)

27.9%of wall width, including allowance

83.7 × 140.5 cmmodeled outside dimensions

Within the entered wall dimensions108.2 cm each side when centered

Calculation: outside width = recorded width + twice your frame allowance. This is a proportion study, not an installation assessment. It excludes furniture, hardware, load capacity, depth and delivery clearance. The display image may include margins absent from the recorded measurement.

Compare formats with the studio collection

These Lei-Kol works have the closest width-to-height ratios in the current catalog. This is a geometry comparison, not a claim of artistic similarity, equivalent value, or association with the museum artist.