The museum record
The Metropolitan Museum of Art records this work as Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei), by Katsushika Hokusai. The object facts below come from the museum’s collection record. They describe the original object; a reproduction can have different dimensions.
| Detail | Museum record |
|---|---|
| Artist | Katsushika Hokusai |
| Date | ca. 1830–32 |
| Medium | Woodblock print; ink and color on paper |
| Original dimensions | 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in. (25.7 x 37.9 cm) |
| Collection | H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929 |
Look at the composition
Look at the large arc of the wave and then find the small mountain beyond it. The curling crest, diagonal boats and open areas of pale paper create a composition with a clear sense of direction. Small marks remain important, so compare the available detail when choosing the size of a reproduction.
The blue shapes and warm paper tone can look different beside a bright white mat than beside an off-white one. Use physical samples or a proof when that relationship matters. The museum image is a photograph of a particular impression of the print, so the color and edges belong to that recorded object rather than to every impression of this design.
Plan a reproduction
Inspect the complete museum image before cropping. Keep the wave, boats and distant mountain in view when comparing layouts. A matching landscape proportion or a border can be useful if a chosen paper shape would remove an important edge.
Open the museum record for the available image and source details. Inspect the file you download, compare its actual proportions with your paper, and confirm the printer’s requirements before ordering a reproduction.
Image source
The Met currently identifies this object’s image as public domain and makes its Open Access images available under CC0. Follow the collection link to inspect the museum’s available image files and current object record.