The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 18, 2022

Geese Returning Home

노안도 (蘆雁圖)

1600s

Korea, Joseon dynasty

(1392-1910)

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Overall: 182.9 x 49.6 cm (72 x 19 1/2 in.); Painting only: 102.9 x 32.7 cm (40 1/2 x 12 7/8 in.)

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1993.159

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

In Korea, the word for geese in a grove of reeds, <em>noan</em>, has the same pronunciation as the word for "the comfortable life at old age." With this double meaning for a happy life, the motif of returning geese gained popularity in paintings.

Description

In this hanging scroll, wild geese are portrayed engaging in different activities: descending to a marsh, gathering in flocks, grazing on plants, and dipping their heads under the water. In Korean paintings, images of geese serve as the symbol of seasonal change because they migrate from northern areas such as Siberia to stay in the Korean Peninsula during the late fall and winter.

Inscriptions

Inscription

three seals in upper right; one in upper left corner.

Provenance
?-1993
(Leighton R. Longhi Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1993-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014.
Exhibition history

Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 238). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 13, 2013-January 28, 2014).

Mountains and Rivers Beyond the DMZ – Korean Gallery 236 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 21-July 21, 2019).

Interpretation of Materiality: Gold (Korean art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 29-October 24, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1993.159