Gathering of government officials
A record painting of officials gathered beneath a landscape with a waterfall, in the early Joseon gyehoedo format that also lists the participants' names. Full commentary ↓
Couldn't load the puzzle image.
Turn on piece outlines to see piece positions on this picture too
Drag the pieces into place · When zoomed in, drag an empty spot to move around
You can also play with a keyboard — Tab to the board, thenSpace pick a piece, Arrow keys move it (with Shift for small steps),Esc deselect, R rotate a piece (Shift+R the other way)
Gathering of government officials is a painting by an unknown maker (ca. 1551) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 129.5 × 67.9 cm.
In the pictureText is written densely across the top, and below it misty mountains, a waterfall and rocks spread out. In the shade of trees at the bottom, small figures sit together, with bamboo and a waterside beside them. Pale colors are added over ink, and the mounting has a floral pattern.
BackgroundA gyehoedo (gathering painting) was made to commemorate a meeting held by members of the same government office or by those who passed the civil service examination in the same year. The set format puts the name of the gathering at the top, the gathering in a landscape in the middle, and the participants' names and official titles at the bottom, and as many copies of the same painting were made as there were participants, to be shared among them. This painting from about 1551 shows the early Joseon trait of painting the landscape much larger than the figures.
Puzzle tipFit the calligraphy pieces at the top and the figure and bamboo pieces at the bottom first to set the top and bottom of the picture. Join the mountains and waterfall by ink tone and the direction of the ridgelines, and check the blank misty pieces against the preview. 48 pieces is recommended.
- Period
- Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
- Culture
- Korea
- Classification
- Paintings
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions
- 129.5 x 67.9 cm
- Credit line
- Purchase, Acquisitions Fund, and The Vincent Astor Foundation and Hahn Kwang Ho Gifts, 2008
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
In these collections: Seollal Korean Painting Puzzles
Stories about this work
- Gyehoedo and Chaekgado: Joseon Paintings Made to Record, Not Just to Admire
Some paintings were made not to be admired but to keep something. A gyehoedo records a gathering of officials; a chaekgado is a folding screen of book still lifes.
- From Goryeo Buddhist Paintings to Joseon Screens: 18 Korean Paintings as Puzzles
From Goryeo Buddhist paintings to Joseon-era literati painting, portraits, landscapes and folding screens. A genre-by-genre tour of the 18 Korean paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, each one a puzzle.
