Cleveland Museum of Art

Geese Returning Home

Date

1600s

Medium

hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

Department

Korean Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. 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.

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