Artwork
芦雁図|Reeds and Geese
芦雁図|Reeds and Geese is an ink painting by the Tosa School artist Tesshū Tokusai. It dates from 11 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
The reeds are drawn with quick, confident strokes, no erasing, no second tries.
You see two geese standing in tall reeds, one bending its neck to preen.
This is one of the oldest surviving ink paintings on silk in Japan. The artist signed it in 1343, but we know almost nothing about him. The reeds are drawn with quick, confident strokes, no erasing, no second tries.
If you like how the ink flows, look up cross-hatching. It’s how artists build shadows and texture with overlapping lines.
Subject & Meaning
The hanging scroll titled Reeds and Geese, painted by Tesshū Tokusai in the eleventh month of 1343, portrays a flock of geese among tall reeds within a landscape format. The composition emphasizes the birds' presence among vertical stalks, creating a naturalistic scene typical of late Yuan landscape painting. As the work is part of a pair of silk hangings, the imagery reflects an interest in avian subjects within a cultivated visual field.
The depiction of geese functions as a focal element that anchors the surrounding reeds, suggesting a balanced interplay between movement and stillness in the natural environment.
Technique & Style
Executed in ink on silk as a pair of hanging scrolls, the work dates to the eleventh month of 1343. The handling emphasizes fluid, calligraphic brushwork to render reeds and geese with minimal yet evocative strokes. The geese are distilled to essential outlines and subtle ink washes, while the reeds employ varied pressure and speed to suggest swaying stalks and rustling texture. The composition favors asymmetrical balance and open spacing, a convention associated with early Muromachi ink painting.
History & Provenance
The hanging scroll titled Reeds and Geese was created by the artist Tesshū Tokusai and bears a specific date of the 11th month in 1343. Executed in ink on silk, the work is classified as a landscape painting depicting geese and was produced in Japan. It originally formed one half of a pair of hanging scrolls.
The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 1975.268.37 and was acquired in 1975.
Overview
Reeds and Geese (Ashigari-zu) is an ink on silk hanging scroll created by Tesshū Tokusai in 1343. This painting, one of a pair, depicts two geese nestled among tall reeds, with one bird engaged in preening. It is notable as one of the oldest surviving examples of ink painting on silk in Japan, providing a rare look into the early development of this artistic tradition.
Artist & collection
