Road to Shu — Yuan Yao (Chinese, active mid-1700s) — The Cleveland Museum of Art · John L. Severance Fund · CC0. Museum object record ↗

Painting study · Ink painting

Road to Shu1743 · Study 2019.167

Yuan Yao (Chinese, active mid-1700s)
1743

Recorded as Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, this horizontal work measures 256.5 × 187 cm using the museum’s painting only 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

Few works by the Yuan workshops in Yangzhou present a continuous composition of such monumental scale as this hanging scroll. Road to Shu (in Sichuan province) depicts the trade of goods over long distances and through mountainous terrain. Busy travelers lead mules over footbridges, mountain paths wind along steep slopes, and soaring bridges connect peaks divided by deep gorges. The Yuan studios produced paintings to decorate the residences of wealthy Yangzhou salt merchants and princely palaces. The title Road to Shu refers to the historical drama of the flight of Tang emperor Xuanzong (reigned 712–56) to Sichuan in the aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion (755–63). At the same time, the scenery alludes to Anhui, the mountainous native country of many of the salt merchants and their trade routes in northern parts of the empire.

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

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for Road to Shu is 256.5 cm wide and 187 cm high, equivalent to approximately 101.0 × 73.6 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.37:1. The rectangular bounding area is 4.80 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 85.5% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 21.8 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 Road to Shu 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 horizontal composition catches your eye first?
Would a 256.5 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)

85.5%of wall width, including allowance

256.5 × 187.0 cmmodeled outside dimensions

Within the entered wall dimensions21.8 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.