Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Kano Tan'yū in ca. 1650.

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 Tan'yū , 1650

Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Kano Tan'yū. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting presents a solitary duck rendered in ink on paper, belonging to the landscape genre of the mid‑17th century Japanese school.

The painting presents a solitary duck rendered in ink on paper, belonging to the landscape genre of the mid‑17th century Japanese school. The bird occupies the central space of the composition, its form simplified through brushstroke and negative space, emphasizing a naturalistic observation rather than symbolic narrative. As a motif, the duck appears in Edo‑period visual culture as an emblem of tranquility and seasonal change, and in this work it functions as the primary representational element that conveys the artist’s interest in everyday fauna within a cultivated landscape.

Technique & Style

Created in 1650, this work by Kanō Tan'yū is an album leaf executed in ink on paper. The piece functions as a landscape painting that specifically depicts a duck. Physically, the support measures 21.3 cm in height and 27.3 cm in width.

The medium consists of ink applied to a paper surface, characteristic of the artist's approach to this genre.

History & Provenance

The album leaf was created in 1650 by Kano Tan'yū, working in Japan in the mid-seventeenth century. It is executed in ink on paper and takes the form of a landscape composition depicting a duck.

The work is now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located. No further details regarding an earlier ownership chain, commission, or intermediate provenance are documented in the available sources.

Overview

Created around 1650, this ink drawing on an album leaf is attributed to Kano Tan'yū, a leading painter of the early Edo period. The work presents a minimalist landscape in which two ducks glide across a smooth water surface, rendered with a few swift black strokes.