One Hundred Children at Play1100s–1200s · Study 1961.261

Context from the museum

Paintings on the “one hundred children” theme usually have numerous, if not exactly 100, children. A majority of the children here imitate the dress, manners, and activities of the adult world. Whatever the exact significance of the subject, the painter of this album leaf clearly intended it to be savored figure by figure. With seemingly inexhaustible invention, the artist characterized each performer in the colorful pageant with unique accoutrements and action. The avoidance of overlapping allows each figure to be seen in clear detail, while all the figures are organized into a coherent composition. Garden settings with decorative rocks, blossoming shrubs, graceful willows, and lotus ponds had become fairly standard environments for late 12th- to 13th-century scenes of palace ladies as well as of playing children.

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

A detail to notice

Following a baby’s birth, ceremonies and festivities traditionally marked the baby’s successive attainment of thirty days, one hundred days, and one year in age. “One hundred children” paintings such as this album leaf would have been suitable for presentation on either of the latter occasions.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected image measurement for One Hundred Children at Play is 31.2 cm wide and 28.7 cm high, equivalent to approximately 12.3 × 11.3 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.09:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.09 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 10.4% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 134.4 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 One Hundred Children at Play in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Album leaf; ink and color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 31.2 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?