Artwork Page for Geese Returning Home

Details / Information for Geese Returning Home

Geese Returning Home

노안도 [蘆雁圖]

1600s

Korea, Joseon dynasty

(1392–1910)
Medium
hanging scroll; ink on paper
Measurements
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.)
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1993.159
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

In Korea, the word for geese in a grove of reeds, noan, 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.
A hanging scroll in monochromatic ink on tan paper depicts geese in a vertical composition. At the top, a line of small birds flies right. Below, others descend toward thin reeds jutting from the bank. At the bottom, several geese swim in the water. Red square seals accent the upper edges. A blue and gold patterned fabric border frames the scroll, highlighting the birds' descent from the sky down to the water.

Geese Returning Home

1600s

Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

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