Wild Geese Descending to Sandbar
Wild Geese Descending to Sandbar
  • Unidentified artist
  • Joseon Dynasty, late 15th–early 16th century
  • Ink and light color on silk
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, John M. Crawford Jr. Bequest, and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1992 (1992.337)

The scene is depicted from a high, bird’s-eye perspective, capturing a broad stretch of terrain. A waterway runs across the composition, creating a strong sense of depth and naturally drawing the viewer’s gaze into the painting. Based on the An Gyeon school style, elements such as pine trees, rock formations, and mountain peaks are rendered with characteristic brushwork. The trees atop the distant mountain ridge are depicted using the saehyeong chimsu (細形針樹) technique, with thin, vertical strokes suggesting simplified coniferous forms. The farthest mountains are treated with the seonyeom (wash shading) method, softly expressing the shapes of the peaks. A small boat floats at the center of the river, guiding the viewer’s eye from the foreground to the middle ground where a temple is nestled. On the right cliff, two small figures on horseback appear beyond the ridge, making their way toward the temple, adding both narrative and spatial depth.