Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Ike Taiga. It dates from 1749 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a solitary mountain rendered in ink on a hanging silk scroll, embodying the landscape genre of early Edo‑period Japanese art.
The painting presents a solitary mountain rendered in ink on a hanging silk scroll, embodying the landscape genre of early Edo‑period Japanese art. Created in 1749 in Japan, the work is documented as MET 64.55.1 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, highlighting its status as a representative example of the era’s ink‑wash scenery. The composition uses vertical format appropriate to hanging scrolls, allowing a contemplative view of the natural form.
As noted in the artist’s record and the museum’s catalog, the depicted mountain serves as the central subject, reflecting a focus on solitary natural motifs characteristic of the period.
Technique & Style
The work is an ink-on-silk hanging scroll created in 1749 in Japan by Ike no Taiga. It belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a mountain, as recorded in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s catalogue. The support is silk, and the medium is ink applied in the traditional hanging‑scroll format. Formal qualities include a restrained composition and tonal gradations characteristic of the landscape genre.
History & Provenance
The work titled Untitled, painted by Ike no Taiga in 1749, is recorded as a hanging scroll in ink on silk depicting a mountain landscape. According to the catalog entry, it entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display. The dating is explicitly given as 1749, matching the artist’s early career period.
No earlier owners or commissioning details are documented in the available records, and the provenance is limited to its acquisition by the museum.
The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is recorded as accession number 64.55.1. It entered the museum’s collection through purchase in 1964, aligning with the museum’s Japanese painting holdings of the Edo period. The painting has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of its permanent collection displays, which include works by Ike Taiga and other literati painters of eighteenth-century Japan.
Overview
Ike Taiga's Untitled, created in 1749, is an ink on silk painting presented as a hanging scroll. This landscape composition features a prominent mountain form, rendered with dynamic brushwork. The work exemplifies Taiga's distinctive approach to traditional subjects during the mid-18th century in Japan, showcasing his unique artistic voice.
Context
During the 1700s, Japanese landscape painting often adhered closely to established Chinese models. Ike Taiga, however, consciously integrated these historical traditions with a more personal and vigorous artistic sensibility. His innovative synthesis of inherited forms with a fresh, uninhibited style marked a significant development in Japanese painting of the Edo period, offering a new interpretation of classical themes.
Artist & collection
