Artwork
Untitled

Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Kobori Enshū. It dates from 1623 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The hanging scroll by Kobori Enshū, dated 1623, depicts a scene of correspondence, a motif relating to the exchange of letters in early Edo Japan.
The hanging scroll by Kobori Enshū, dated 1623, depicts a scene of correspondence, a motif relating to the exchange of letters in early Edo Japan. Rendered in ink on paper, the work measures 22.3 cm by 29.9 cm and was created in Japan, reflecting the artist's engagement with scholarly and courtly communication. It is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, contextualized within the museum's holdings of Japanese paintings.
Technique & Style
The work is a hanging scroll executed in ink on paper, created in 1623 in Japan. Its support is paper, and the medium consists of ink applied in a restrained, brush-based technique typical of Edo-period scroll painting. The composition centers on a motif of correspondence, rendered in a monochrome palette with subtle gradations of tone.
The scroll measures roughly 22.3 cm in height by 29.9 cm in width, reflecting the standard format of Japanese hanging scrolls of the period. The piece is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection in New York.
History & Provenance
This work was created in 1623 in Japan as a hanging scroll in ink on paper, depicting correspondence. Its date, medium, and classification as a painting are recorded in the museum's cataloging data. The piece is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
No surviving records detail a specific commission, no accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Created in 1623, this hanging scroll by Kobori Enshū consists of a solitary black ink line that winds across a blank sheet of paper. The work is untitled and classified as a painting, though its minimal composition functions as a visual letter rather than a conventional image.
Artist & collection










