Poet Fisherman1800s · Study 1990.70

Context from the museum

This album leaf depicts the 8th-century Chinese official and Daoist scholar Zhang Zhihe sitting on a raft buffeted by waves. He drinks wine from a small cup, and gazes up at a crane flying above him. Behind him are two large jars, one covered with an overturned lotus leaf. The handle of a ladle emerges from the other. His fishing rod is balanced at his side, but its line is twisted uselessly. Based on its iconography, the painting is likely modeled after an image from an illustrated woodblock edition of the Chinese text Liexian Zuan (Biographies of Exemplary Immortals). The biographical inscription above him reads, "he is a recluse among the rivers and lakes. He calls himself ‘Fishing Disciple Amidst Mists and Waves.’ He is always fishing without bait for Zhi has no need for fish." A rectangular seal in relief appears to the right of the inscription, while a square seal in relief appears to the left. Neither is legible.

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

A detail to notice

The lid that covers a tall crackle-patterned jar is a large lotus leaf.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for Poet Fisherman is 24 cm wide and 22.5 cm high, equivalent to approximately 9.4 × 8.9 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.07:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.05 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 8.0% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 138.0 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 Poet Fisherman in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, album leaf from a set; ink and color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 24 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?