Yu Da of Shixi (Chinese, possibly active in Japan, 1459 or 1519)
Wild Geese, 1459 (or 1519)
Watercolor on silk; mounted on a Japanese hanging scroll , 127 x 58 cm (50 x 22 13/16 in.)
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This watercolor rendering of wild geese is done in muted shades tan, gray and black and is mounted on a tan hanging scroll in the Japanese style. The gray and white geese are grouped on a shoreline with a gaggle visible to our right and two others visible to our left. A small area of a waterway is visible in the lower corner to our left. Above the geese to our right is a grouping of delicate reeds and tall flowers. There is one lone goose in flight that is silhouetted by the full moon in the upper corner to our left. This image is bordered at the top and bottom with a light blue and tan floral motif. Along the upper left are three rows of Chinese characters in black and two red block stamps. At the top of the larger scroll are two pieces of thread that would have been used to hang it.
Third Floor Passage
Commentary
According to its calligraphic inscription, this painting was created by an individual named Yu Da. The painting depicts a group of geese who have gathered on a moonlit river bank. This painting may be by a Chinese painter, but it is mounted as a hanging scroll in the Japanese style. Isabella Stewart Gardner collected East Asian paintings, including hanging scrolls and folding screens, and several of these works are displayed near the museum stairways and elevator.