Cleveland Museum of Art

Wild Geese and Reeds

Date

1392–1910

Medium

Unmounted 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, and grazing on plants. In Korean paintings, images of geese and reeds serve as the symbol of peaceful senior life; a homophone of g eese and reeds means aging peacefully. Paintings that depict a peaceful image of migratory white-fronted geese descending to a river bank where tall reeds gently bend in the evening breeze were widely favored as birthday gifts, especially to elders: a homophone of the title Geese and Reeds means Aging Peacefully.

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