Snowscape with Figures

About the Artwork

This hanging scroll is a rare surviving example of early Joseon period painting. The painter Kim Si (1481–1537) was a member of the aristocracy, or high-ranking men. However, after his father, Kim Anro (1481–1537) fell out of power, Kim Si retreated himself and spent his life as a reclusive artist. In such a context, this image of a solitary scholar in his studio surrounded by trees and snow-covered mountains does not simply render an idealized life of a recluse focusing on scholarly pursuits; rather, it is the painter’s mindscape, indicating that the glory of his family has become a forgotten part of his past.

Inscriptions

The inscription (款識) on the upper left corner reads as following: 萬曆甲申秋養松居士爲安士確作寒林霽雪圖. The painter's seal (朱文方印) printed reads as following: 金禔季綏

Exhibition history

The Year in Review for 1987. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 24-April 17, 1988). Scholar's Studio. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 19-December 17, 1989). The Treasure Exhibition of the Former Era of Choson Dynasty - Looking for Great Cultural Legacy II. Ho-am Art Museum, Seoul, Korea (December 13, 1996-February 11, 1997). Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998). From Dreaming to Hiking: Korean Landscape Paintings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 1-September 29, 2024). Art of the Early Joseon. National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Korea (Republic of) (organizer) (June 9-August 31, 2025).

Quick Overview

Artist: Kim Si (Korean, 1524–1593)
Date: 1584
Medium: hanging scroll; ink on silk
Dimensions: Painting only: 53 x 67.3 cm (20 7/8 x 26 1/2 in.); Overall: 148.6 x 90.2 cm (58 1/2 x 35 1/2 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Korean Art
Credit line: Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Accession no.: 1987.187

Provenance

?–1987: (Shagoro Yabumoto, Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1987–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.