Symbols of Longevity: Deer under Peach and Pine1801 · Study 2015.86

Context from the museum

This pair of hanging scrolls is replete with images symbolizing longevity. Peaches, associated with immortality, hang in abundance from a tree in the left scroll, while pines, known for being eternally green, twist together in the right scroll. Beneath the trees stand two bucks, one of whom gazes at a doe seated on the ground as he licks his coat. Medicine made from deer antlers is said to promote health. Mushrooms, in bright red and green, seen in the left scroll, are said to confer immortality upon those who eat them, and the small waterfall in the right scroll speaks to the infinite flexibility and abundance flowing through life. Toda Tadanaka, the son of the ruler of Noto province and a military leader himself, trained with trained with Mori Ransai (1740-1801), a painter known for colorful bird-and-flower compositions in the style of Shen Nanping. The style is more generally referred to as the Nagasaki style, indicating the port city in which a number of Chinese painters were active in the Edo period (1615-1868).

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 Symbols of Longevity: Deer under Peach and Pine is 54 cm wide and 135 cm high, equivalent to approximately 21.3 × 53.1 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.40:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.73 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 18.0% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 123.0 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 Symbols of Longevity: Deer under Peach and Pine in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Pair of hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk (ivory roller ends), in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 54 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?