The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 26, 2024

Gibbons in a Landscape

Gibbons in a Landscape

early 1900s
Painting only: 104.8 x 393.7 cm (41 1/4 x 155 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Gibbons were often presented to the Joseon royal court as diplomatic gifts from the Japanese government.

Description

In this folding screen, gibbons playfully interact with each other. In Korean paintings, gibbons were less frequently depicted than in their Chinese and Japanese counterparts. However, they became popular toward the end of the 1800s, possibly due to an influx of Chinese and Japanese decorative arts. Gibbons symbolize good fortune, but as paired with the red autumn foliage, specifically refer to professional success, such as passing the government examination and getting promoted to a higher position. The large ripe peach held by one gibbon bears another symbolic meaning: prosperity and longevity.
  • ?-1996
    (Leighton R. Longhi Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1996-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “Rare Korean Screen Painting, Important Baroque Drawing, Sheeler Drawing Join the Museum Collection,” October 10, 1996, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Art of Korean Empire: The Emergence of Modern Art [대한제국의 미술-빛의 길을 꿈꾸다]. Seoul: Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2018.
    Beyond Folding Screens [조선, 병풍의 나라]. Seoul: Amorepacific Museum of Art, 2018.
    Modern Traditions in Korean Calligraphy and Painting [근대서화]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2019.
  • Old and New in Korean Art (Korean art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 28, 2022-April 23, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Gibbons in a Landscape|url=false|author=|year=early 1900s|access-date=26 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1996.256