Swan Goose Among Water Reeds

15th century

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About the Artwork

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Catalogue Raisonné

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About the Artwork

A hearty swan goose waddles on a lakeshore, arching its neck to let out a loud, distinctive honk. Weathered reeds surrounding it signal the chill of autumn and the approach of winter.
In China, geese are commonly associated with reliability and order because of their controlled flight patterns during seasonal migrations. Historically, they also symbolized court officials who traveled between the north and south of China, ever faithful to the emperor. But this bird is open to more than one interpretation. Some people admire geese for their freedom, seeing the migrating birds as untethered and moving at will.
Larger and stronger than the average goose, the swan goose is a species native to Asia.

Title Swan Goose Among Water Reeds

Artwork Date 15th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Chinese

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Ink and watercolor on silk

Dimensions Image: 51 1/4 × 28 inches (130.2 × 71.1 cm) Overall: 94 3/4 × 39 1/2 inches (240.7 × 100.3 cm) Installed: 96 × 39 1/2 × 1 3/4 inches (243.8 × 100.3 × 4.4 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department Asian Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mrs. Walter R. Parker

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 31.282

Markings

Marks Upper left: spurious signature of Liu Yongnian

Provenance

(Helbert Mueller);
1931-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA) with funds from Margaret W. Parker

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

March, Benjamin. "The Call of Autumn," Bulletin of the DIA 13, no. 4 (January 1932).

Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting: The Collections of the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, and The Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. cat., Cleveland Musuem of Art. Cleveland, 1980, p. 150, no. 127.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Chinese, Swan Goose Among Water Reeds, 15th century, ink and watercolor on silk. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mrs. Walter R. Parker, 31.282.