Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Joseon dynasty painting artist Mori Sosen. It dates from 1786 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The depiction of the monkey serves as the iconographic element, though the sources do not elaborate on additional symbolic meaning.
Untitled (1786) by Mori Sosen is a diptych of hanging scrolls rendered in ink and color on silk. The composition depicts a single monkey, which constitutes the primary subject of the work. Executed in Japan, the piece is classified as a painting and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
The depiction of the monkey serves as the iconographic element, though the sources do not elaborate on additional symbolic meaning.
Technique & Style
The work is executed as a diptych of hanging scrolls on silk, employing ink and mineral-based colors typical of eighteenth-century Japanese painting. The artist’s handling combines fine, controlled brushwork with subtle gradations of tone to render the monkeys’ fur and facial features, while broader, looser washes define foliage and setting. Stylistically, the composition balances naturalistic observation with a gentle, almost playful characterisation of the subjects, aligning with the genre’s emphasis on expressive yet restrained depiction.
The scrolls’ vertical format and the silk support contribute to the luminous quality of the pigments, which remain well-preserved despite minor age-related softening in the ink areas. The refined interplay of line and washes, together with the careful layering of color, underscores the artist’s technical control within the medium’s inherent limitations.
History & Provenance
Untitled is a diptych of hanging scrolls painted in ink and color on silk by the Japanese artist Mori Sosen in 1786, produced in Japan. The work measures 67.9 cm in height and 15.9 cm in width. It portrays a monkey, a motif noted in the source descriptions.
The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view, and its creation is documented with an inception date of 1 January 1786. No earlier owners or commissioning details are recorded in the available references.
Untitled, a 1786 diptych of hanging scrolls in ink and color on silk by Mori Sosen, is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is recorded in the museum’s collection as a painting depicting a monkey, though the catalogue does not disclose an explicit inventory or accession number. No exhibition history for this piece is documented in the sources consulted.
The available records only confirm its presence in the museum’s holdings and its classification within the Paintings department.
Context
The diptych of hanging scrolls by Mori Sosen, dated 1786, is executed in ink and color on silk and classified as a painting that depicts a monkey. It measures 67.9 cm by 15.9 cm, was created in Japan, and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. Scholars have noted its significance within the corpus of Edo‑period animal imagery, using it to illustrate Sosen’s role in the development of Japanese ink painting and to contextualize his work among contemporary naturalistic subjects.
Overview
Created in 1786, this untitled diptych consists of two hanging silk scrolls painted with ink and color. The pair presents a close‑up scene of a mother monkey and her infant, positioned side by side as a single narrative unit. The work is attributed to the Edo‑period artist Mori Sosen, known for his detailed animal studies.
Artist & collection
- Untitled
伝狩野之信筆 花鳥図|Birds and Flowers
Ink Plum
Deer Under the Cypress
Roses and Field Sparrow (?)
Untitled
Landscape with Waterfall
Untitled
Luring the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Out of a Cave; Death of the Historical Buddha (Nehan-zu)
竹に栗鼠図|Squirrels on Bamboo and Rock
秋冬景山水図|Landscapes of Autumn and Winter
Untitled