Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Nainsukh in ca. 1790.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with Kanō school.

Untitled by Nainsukh (ca. 1790) · Meaning & Museum

Accession no.: 1987.424.13
Credit line: Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 1987

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The landscape setting frames the interaction, aligning with eighteenth-century Pahari traditions that blend secular life with natural motifs.

The work depicts a group scene centered on a male figure holding a bow and arrow, accompanied by a woman and a monkey. A bear appears in the background, suggesting a narrative of human–animal encounter. The composition emphasizes the hunter’s aim and the companions’ presence, with the monkey positioned as a witness or participant.

The landscape setting frames the interaction, aligning with eighteenth-century Pahari traditions that blend secular life with natural motifs. The scene likely represents a hunting episode, a common subject in Kangra–Guler ateliers of the period, though specific symbolic meanings remain undocumented in primary sources.

Technique & Style

Created in 1790, this landscape painting employs ink and opaque watercolor applied to paper. The work is attributed to the workshop active in the first generation following the artist Nainsukh, reflecting the stylistic traditions of that lineage. Physically, the sheet measures 25.2 cm in height and 35.4 cm in width.

The formal composition depicts a narrative scene populated by specific figures, including a man, a woman, a monkey, and a bear, alongside a bow and arrow. Executed in India, the piece utilizes the standard media of the Pahari painting tradition, where opaque pigments are layered over ink outlines to define the landscape and its inhabitants. The support remains a paper substrate, characteristic of the region's manuscript and album painting practices during the late eighteenth century.

History & Provenance

The work titled Untitled was produced in 1790 in India by the workshop of the first generation following Nainsukh. Executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, the piece measures 25.2 × 35.4 cm and belongs to the landscape genre, depicting a bear, a bow and arrow, a man, a monkey, and a woman. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains.

The available sources do not provide an explicit inventory or accession number for the piece, nor do they record any exhibition history beyond its presence in the museum's collection.

Overview

This untitled work, rendered in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, depicts a dynamic scene set within a forest environment. It features a diverse group of figures, including humans and various animals, engaged in an unfolding narrative. The composition captures a moment of interaction and observation, characteristic of the artist's focus on detailed storytelling.