The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlightlate 1400s · Study 1954.582

Context from the museum

Lin Bu (967–1028), a Northern Song (960–1127) poet and hermit who lived at the West Lake in Hangzhou, was known for having plum trees for his female companions and cranes for his children. This hanging scroll depicts the poet walking in the moonlight and looking at the plum tree, a scene described in his most well-known poem on plum blossoms. Surviving works signed by Du Jin are rare and this painting is one of them. Here, the artist used lively brushwork to depict the plum tree and rocks, exemplified in varying dots and strokes, and sweeps in different shades of ink.

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

A detail to notice

Lin Bu withdrew from prestigious government service and lived as a hermit by the West Lake in Hangzhou.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected image measurement for The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlight is 72.4 cm wide and 156.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 28.5 × 61.6 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.46:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.13 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 24.1% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 113.8 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 The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlight 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 paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 72.4 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?