Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Kano Naonobu in 17th century.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Untitled

Kano Naonobu , 1628

Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Kano Naonobu. It dates from 1628 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created in 1628, this hanging scroll presents a solitary bird perched on a stark branch, rendered solely with ink on paper.

Accession no.: 53.118.2
Credit line: Rogers Fund, 1953

About this work

Subject & Meaning

This hanging scroll, rendered in ink on paper, is classified as a landscape painting that depicts a bird.

This hanging scroll, rendered in ink on paper, is classified as a landscape painting that depicts a bird. The avian subject is the only iconographic element identified in the work's documentation, situating the piece within the Japanese tradition of ink-brush bird-and-landscape imagery produced by Kanō-school painters in the early seventeenth century. The narrow vertical format of the scroll, measuring 97.5 by 28.4 centimeters, is consistent with compositions in which a single bird is the focal motif against a minimal or atmospheric ground, a format associated with contemplative viewing rather than narrative storytelling.

Because the sources record only the generic subject "bird" without specifying a species, pose, or accompanying elements such as blossoms, branches, or seasonal markers, no further symbolic reading can be grounded in the available evidence. The work's meaning, as documented, rests on its identification as a Kanō Naonobu ink painting of a bird executed in 1628 and held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Technique & Style

The work is a hanging scroll rendered in ink on paper. Executed in 1628, it measures 97.5 cm in height by 28.4 cm in width and was created in Japan. The composition depicts a bird, reflecting the landscape genre within the artist’s oeuvre. The scroll is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

History & Provenance

The hanging scroll was created in 1628 by the Japanese artist Kano Naonobu, who was active during the early Edo period. It was produced in Japan as an ink-on-paper landscape painting that also depicts a bird. The work subsequently entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held.

Context

Untitled is a 1628 hanging scroll by Kano Naonobu, executed in ink on paper. The work measures 97.5 cm in height and 28.4 cm in width and portrays a bird within a landscape composition.

It exemplifies the bird motif that recurs in the Kanō school’s landscape genre, reflecting the early Edo emphasis on natural subjects rendered with disciplined brushwork. The scroll is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, situating it within the institutional narrative of Japanese painting.

Overview

Created in 1628, this hanging scroll presents a solitary bird perched on a stark branch, rendered solely with ink on paper. The composition is minimalist, emphasizing the bird’s delicate form against an expansive void, a hallmark of early Edo period aesthetics. The work exemplifies the restrained elegance typical of Japanese ink painting, inviting quiet contemplation of the fleeting moment captured.