Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Chôbunsai Eishi in late 18th–19th century.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with Romanticism.

Untitled by Chôbunsai Eishi (late 18th–19th century)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts a woman alongside a duck and a tree. While the sources identify these three core elements, they do not elaborate on their specific iconographic significance, symbolic meaning, or the broader representational program of the work. The genre classification as a genre scene suggests an everyday-life context, but no further interpretation of the scene's narrative, the figure's identity, or the potential symbolic associations of the duck or tree is provided in the available material.

Technique & Style

Executed in 1798 in Japan, the composition depicts a duck, a tree, and a woman, integrating narrative elements within a balanced, vertical format.

The work is a hanging scroll painted in ink and color on silk, characteristic of Edo‑period Japanese genre painting. Its dimensions measure approximately 32.1 cm in height by 70.2 cm in width, as recorded in the museum’s catalog. Executed in 1798 in Japan, the composition depicts a duck, a tree, and a woman, integrating narrative elements within a balanced, vertical format.

The use of silk as a support and the application of color washes over ink outline typical techniques of ukiyo‑e scrolls, emphasizing fluid brushwork and subtle tonal modulation. The painting’s formal qualities reflect a harmonious arrangement of figures and natural motifs, typical of the genre scene style.

History & Provenance

Untitled, a hanging scroll in ink and color on silk, was created in 1798 in Japan by the ukiyo‑e painter Chōbunsai Eishi. The composition shows a duck, a tree and a woman, reflecting typical genre scenes of the period. The work remained in Japan until it entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as part of the museum’s Japanese painting holdings.

No documentation indicates a specific commissioning patron; the painting’s provenance is defined by its acquisition by the museum, which preserves it today.

Untitled (1798) by Chōbunsai Eishi is a hanging scroll in ink and color on silk that portrays a duck, a tree and a woman. The work belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is recorded as a Japanese painting from the late Edo period. No accession number appears in the documentation, and the sources do not mention any exhibition history for the piece.

Overview

Created in 1798 by the ukiyo-e artist Chōbunsai Eishi, Untitled is a hanging scroll rendered in ink and color on silk. The painting presents a serene genre scene featuring two women beneath a pine tree, observing a pair of ducks in a small pond. This work exemplifies Eishi's characteristic focus on elegant female figures within natural settings, employing a gentle palette and detailed rendering to evoke a tranquil atmosphere.

Artist & collection

Artist

Chôbunsai Eishi

Chōbunsai Eishi (鳥文斎栄之; 1756–1829) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. His last name was Hosoda (細田). His first name was Tokitomi (時富). His common name was Taminosuke (民之丞) and later Yasaburo (弥三郎). Pupil of Kano Eisen'in…