Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Bi Chang in 18th–19th century.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with Baroque.

Untitled by Bi Chang (18th–19th century) · Meaning & Museum

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The composition exemplifies the landscape genre, emphasizing naturalistic detail and subtle color washes typical of late Qing dynasty album paintings.

Untitled (1799) by Bi Chang portrays a traditional Chinese riverine scene dominated by a solitary boat navigating a winding river. The composition exemplifies the landscape genre, emphasizing naturalistic detail and subtle color washes typical of late Qing dynasty album paintings. Symbolically, the river and vessel evoke themes of journey and transience, reflecting cultural associations of water as a conduit for movement and transformation.

As recorded in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection records, the work was created in China and remains part of the museum’s holdings, underscoring its significance within the corpus of 18th‑century Chinese painting.

Technique & Style

Untitled" is an album of ten leaves, eight of which are paintings and two are title leaves, executed in ink and color on paper. The work is classified as a landscape painting and depicts a boat on a river. It was created in 1799 in China and is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the collection. The sources do not provide further details on condition or specific formal stylistic attributes.

History & Provenance

The album was created in 1799 by Bi Chang, produced in China as a set of ten leaves comprising eight landscape paintings and two title leaves executed in ink and color on paper. The work depicts boats and rivers, consistent with its landscape classification. It is now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located.

The sources do not provide further detail on intermediate ownership, specific commission circumstances, or acquisition history prior to its arrival at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The album is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is recorded as accession number 1973.120.7. It has been exhibited at the museum in 2018 as part of the display "The Art of Disguise: The Chinese Album in the Johnson Collection," according to the museum’s online records.

Overview

This work, titled Untitled, is a landscape painting by Bi Chang, created in 1799. Executed with ink and color on paper, it forms one of eight pictorial leaves within a larger album that also includes two title pages. The composition depicts a serene river scene, characterized by a small boat navigating through a vast, misty environment.

Context

This particular landscape is one component of a larger artistic endeavor, originally conceived as an album comprising ten individual leaves. Within this collection, eight leaves feature distinct paintings, while the remaining two serve as title pages. This format allowed for a sequence of visual experiences, presenting a series of related or contrasting images for intimate viewing.