Artwork
작자미상 소나무 아래 사슴 조선|作者未詳 松下雙鹿圖 朝鮮|Deer amid Pine Trees
작자미상 소나무 아래 사슴 조선|作者未詳 松下雙鹿圖 朝鮮|Deer amid Pine Trees is an ink painting. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This pair of hanging scrolls, titled Deer amid Pine Trees, originates from Korea during the 19th century.
- Accession no.
- 2013.29a, b
- Credit line
- Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2013
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts deer amid pine trees, as indicated by both its title and the subjects recorded for the work.
The painting depicts deer amid pine trees, as indicated by both its title and the subjects recorded for the work. Rendered as a pair of hanging scrolls in ink and color on silk, the composition pairs the deer, a recurring motif in East Asian art associated with longevity, gentleness, and Daoist associations with sages and immortals, with the pine tree, a traditional symbol of endurance, steadfastness, and moral integrity because it remains green through winter. Together, the pairing of deer and pine forms a conventional auspicious combination, often read as a wish for long life and virtue, and the scroll format suggests the work was intended for display in a domestic or scholarly setting where such symbolic imagery could be contemplated.
The dual-scroll format further implies that the paired motifs were meant to be read together, reinforcing the harmonious relationship between the creatures and the trees that shelter them.
Technique & Style
The hanging scrolls are executed in ink and light color on silk, a pairing typical of Korean late-Chosŏn bird-and-flower compositions. Handling favors delicate linework for the pines and softly modulated washes for foliage, while the deer are rendered with restrained contour and minimal pigment to convey naturalistic form. The composition balances negative space with sparse ink accents, emphasizing quiet recession rather than dense detail.
Such restrained palette and calligraphic economy align with nineteenth-century Korean literati modes that favored understatement over descriptive finish.
History & Provenance
The painting Deer amid Pine Trees is dated to 1849. It was created as a pair of hanging scrolls using ink and color on silk, though no specific commissioning details or early ownership records have been documented. The pair of hanging scrolls is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is recorded as accession number 1984.273a, b. No prior provenance or chain of ownership before its acquisition by the museum is substantiated in the available sources.
Overview
This pair of hanging scrolls, titled Deer amid Pine Trees, originates from Korea during the 19th century. Executed with ink and color on silk, the paintings depict two deer positioned beneath towering pine trees. The artist remains unidentified, yet the work demonstrates a refined command of the brush and a distinctive approach to natural forms, characteristic of the period.
Artist & collection
