The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 23, 2026

A vertically oriented ink and color painting on silk depicts a white falcon perched on a gnarled tree trunk. Against a uniform dark brown background, the bird faces right and looks downward, showcasing scalloped white and gray feathers with one wing partially raised. Muted red and white flowers bloom on thin branches arching above, while sparse foliage grows at the base. The composition highlights the bird’s intricate plumage and the weathered, rustic bark.

White Falcon

1500s

Korea, Joseon dynasty

(1392–1910)
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Overall: 86 x 43.2 cm (33 7/8 x 17 in.); Box: 8.9 x 7.6 cm (3 1/2 x 3 in.)
Purchase from the Karl B. Goldfield Trust 2026.15
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

In premodern East Asia, the white falcon symbolized an individual of strong moral integrity. Thus, falcon paintings were frequently presented as gifts from the king to meritorious court officials.

Description

The falcon is rendered with highly detailed brushwork, while the surrounding vegetation is depicted with calligraphic lines. This intentional distinction between the carefully managed brushwork of the bird and the expressive treatment of the plants is a key feature of Korean bird-and-flower paintings from the mid-16th and early 17th centuries of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) within an established classical style.
  • after 1985–1997
    Mr. Irie Takeo 入江毅夫, Yuhyeonjae [Yūgensai] 幽玄齋 Collection, Kyoto, Japan
    1997–2025
    Nakamura Takeo 中村武雄
    2025–2026
    (MyArt Auction, Seoul, South Korea, sold to the Clevleand Museum of Art)
    2026–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Korean paintings of Yi dynasty (1392-1910) from the Kongetsuken collection 李朝の絵画 : 坤月軒コレクション : 特別展. Toyama-shi: Toyama Bijutsukan, 1985. no. 13
    Yūgensai 幽玄齋. Yūgensai sen Kankoku koshoga zuroku [Illustrated Catalogue of Korean Classical Paintings and Clalligrapy in the Yugensai Collection] 幽玄齋選韓國古書畫圖錄. Kyōto: Yūgensai, 1996.
  • Paintings of the Yi Dynasty. Toyama Museum of Art, Toyama, Japan (April 6-May 19, 1985).
  • {{cite web|title=White Falcon|url=false|author=|year=1500s|access-date=23 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2026.15