Joseon Mogan — Wooden Wedding Goose with Ink Drawing on Paper

A mogan — the wooden goose of the jeonallye, the rite in a traditional Korean wedding in which the groom presents a goose to the bride’s family as a pledge of marriage.

This example is unusual: the carved body was covered with jangji, thick mulberry paper, and feathers and eyes were then drawn over it in ink. The long curve of the neck and the ink-drawn wings are unadorned yet alive.

Geese were believed to keep one mate for life, and so became a symbol of the marital bond. Set on a bookshelf or console, it leaves the shape of an old promise quietly in the room.

Related Objects in Museum Collections

A few related objects found on Korea’s e-Museum by searching for “목안”. Comparing their forms is a quiet pleasure.

Reference images: e-Museum (emuseum.go.kr), National Museum of Korea — the holding institution is noted in each caption. Click an image to open the museum record.