Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Kishi Ganku. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
This was painted in 1790, when Japan was closed to the outside world, most artists had never seen a tiger either.
A tiger crouches on a rock, tail twitching, eyes locked forward. Its fur is painted in quick, bold strokes, black ink for stripes, orange and white for the body. The background is empty, just a faint wash of gray.
Ganku never saw a real tiger. He worked from skins and stories, yet the animal feels alive. The claws dig into the rock, muscles tense. This was painted in 1790, when Japan was closed to the outside world, most artists had never seen a tiger either.
To see how other artists imagined tigers, look up tigers.
Subject & Meaning
This hanging scroll by Kishi Ganku, created in 1741, depicts a tiger as its sole subject. Executed in ink and color on silk, the work focuses entirely on the representation of this animal without additional narrative elements or background scenery described in the available records. The tiger serves as the central iconographic element, consistent with the artist's known specialization in this motif, though specific symbolic interpretations or allegorical meanings beyond the depiction itself are not detailed in the source material.
Technique & Style
Untitled is a hanging scroll painted in ink and polychrome pigments on silk. The support is silk, and the work is executed with ink washes supplemented by subtle coloration, a technique typical of Edo‑period animal paintings. Measuring 98.4 cm in height and 34.9 cm in width, the composition centers a tiger rendered in fluid brushwork that exploits the flexibility of the scroll format.
The depiction follows conventional compositional strategies for tiger subjects, emphasizing muscular tension and dynamic posture. As a hanging scroll, the piece is intended for vertical display and controlled handling to preserve the delicate silk surface.
History & Provenance
The hanging scroll titled Untitled, depicting a tiger, was created by the Japanese artist Kishi Ganku in 1741. Executed in ink and color on silk, the work measures 98.4 cm in height and 34.9 cm in width. The painting originated in Japan and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is cataloged as accession number 14.76.21. No specific commission details or earlier ownership records are provided in the available documentation.
The hanging scroll titled Untitled by Kishi Ganku is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is cataloged under the accession number 14.76.21. Created in 1741, the work depicts a tiger and measures 98.4 cm in height by 34.9 cm in width. The provided sources do not record any specific exhibition history for this piece.
Overview
Created in 1790, this hanging scroll by the Japanese painter Kishi Ganku portrays a solitary tiger perched on a rock. The animal is rendered with a focused gaze and a slight movement of its tail, set against a minimal gray wash that emphasizes its presence without a detailed background.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kishi Ganku wasn't just a painter, he was a showman who brought wild energy to quiet Kyoto.
