Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting by the Indian Miniature artist Bhadrabahu. It dates from 1449 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 57.51.38.17
- Credit line
- Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting is a religious work with a Jain subject, executed in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper in 1449.
The painting is a religious work with a Jain subject, executed in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper in 1449. The corpus record and Wikidata entry classify the piece as religious art and identify Jainism as its subject matter. As a devotional image it would have functioned within the visual culture of Jain religious practice, where illuminated manuscripts and painted folios served as aids to contemplation and instruction.
The materials are consistent with the manuscript-painting traditions of western India in the mid-fifteenth century, where gold and mineral pigments conveyed sanctity and luminosity appropriate to sacred subjects. The work's horizontal format, measuring 11.4 by 28.9 centimeters, suggests it was a folio from a larger dispersed manuscript rather than a standalone panel, a format commonly used for Jain religious texts and their illustrations.
Technique & Style
The painting combines ink and opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper, a combination typical of fifteenth-century western Indian Jain manuscript illustration. The support is a single sheet of paper measuring approximately 11.4 cm in height and 28.9 cm in width. Stylistically the work shows the flattened figural treatment, attenuated forms, and restrained palette punctuated by gold accents that characterize Jain manuscript painting of the period.
History & Provenance
The painting is dated 1449 and associated with Bhadrabahu, a figure connected to the Jain religious tradition. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art under accession number 57.51.38.17. No record of an early provenance prior to the museum's acquisition is provided in the available sources.
Context
This folio by Bhadrabahu, dated 1449, exemplifies Jain religious art of the fifteenth-century Indian subcontinent. Rendered in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, it belongs to the corpus of Jain manuscript illustrations that convey doctrinal narratives through figural composition. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, the work is referenced in studies of early Indian painting styles and the transmission of Jain visual motifs across regional workshops.
Overview
This untitled work, created by Bhadrabahu in 1449, is a religious painting executed with ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper. It serves as a visual representation of Jainism, a spiritual tradition emphasizing non-violence. The artwork's precise details and use of precious materials reflect its devotional purpose within the Jain faith.
Artist & collection
