Untitled

Untitled is a 1887 album leaf painting on silk by Kawanabe Kyōsai, depicting a bird among a tree. The work was created in Japan and measures 36.2 cm in height by 27.6 cm in width. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view.

The museum’s records list the piece’s inception as 1887‑01‑01 and identify it as a still‑life painting within the museum’s holdings. No earlier ownership or commission details are documented in the available sources.

The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is listed as part of the museum’s collection; the specific accession or inventory number is not provided in the available documentation. No exhibition history for this piece is recorded in the sources consulted. The museum’s catalog entry places the painting within its painting department, confirming its status as a held artwork.

The absence of an explicit accession identifier means that the precise inventory reference cannot be supplied from the given sources.

Kawanabe Kyōsai created this untitled album leaf around 1887, utilizing ink and color on silk. The painting, rendered in the nihonga style, features two birds on a tree branch, exemplifying the artist's skill in traditional Japanese painting. Kyōsai was active during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, known for his distinctive approach and caricatures, and this work belongs to the still life genre.

Kawanabe Kyōsai was a prominent figure in Japanese art during the transitional late Edo and early Meiji eras. Renowned for his individualism and mastery across various painting traditions, he was also a prolific caricaturist. Art historian Timothy Clark has characterized Kyōsai as the final virtuoso of traditional Japanese painting, highlighting his significant position in art history as a bridge between eras.