Leaf & Spine

Cover art · garden

Garden for Solitary Enjoyment

Qiu Ying (Chinese, 1494–1552), 1515–52.

Garden for Solitary Enjoyment
Garden for Solitary Enjoyment — Cleveland Museum of Art

Using it on a cover

The print file prints up to 11.3 x 0.3 in at 300 ppi — fine for smaller trims or inset artwork, but too small to fill a 6 x 9 in cover at 300 ppi. Wider than a 6 x 9 cover: crop about 98% of the width, or use it as a wraparound across back and spine.

About the work

Garden of Solitary Enjoyment refers to a site built in 1073 by the statesman Sima Guang (1019–1086) after he had retired to Luoyang, Henan province. Every spring, visitors would flock to his garden. Each of its seven structures references a historic figure. Sima wrote: I channel streams [like Du Mu], to water flowers [like Bai Juyi], or trim bamboo [like Wang Huizhi]. . . . I know of no joy between heaven and earth that could take its place .

More garden art

Diptych with the Passion of Christ (right wing): Crowning with Thorns and Agony on the Garden Diptych with the Passion of Christ (right wing)… Unknown artistc. 1400 The Garden of the Rousseau Family The Garden of the Rousseau Family James Ensor (Belgian, 1860–1949)1885 Under the Trees (from "The Public Gardens") Under the Trees (from "The Public Gardens") Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868–1940)1894 Ravana addresses Sita in the garden of Lanka, from Chapters 53 and 54 of the Aranya Kanda (Book of the Forest) of a Ramayana (Rama’s Journey) Ravana addresses Sita in the garden of Lanka… Unknown artistc. 1725 Oath of the Peach Garden, from Romance of the Three Kingdoms Oath of the Peach Garden, from Romance of the… Matsumura Goshun (Japanese, 1752–1811)c. 1780 Women bathing before an architectural panorama Women bathing before an architectural panorama Fayzullah (Indian, active c. 1730–1765)c. 1765

Sources & data