Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Ogata Kōrin. It dates from 1704 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2015.300.89
- Credit line
- Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work functions as a representation of this specific deity, categorizing the piece within the genre of religious painting.
Created in 1704 by Ogata Kōrin, this hanging scroll depicts Budai, a figure central to religious iconography. The work functions as a representation of this specific deity, categorizing the piece within the genre of religious painting. While the image focuses on the figure of Budai, the sources do not provide further details regarding specific symbolic attributes, narrative context, or deeper interpretative meanings beyond this identification.
Technique & Style
Created in 1704 by Ogata Kōrin, this work is executed as a hanging scroll using ink on paper. The composition depicts the religious figure Budai, rendered within the Japanese painting tradition. Physically, the sheet measures 28.5 cm in height and 36.8 cm in width. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1704 by Ogata Kōrin in Japan, executed as a hanging scroll in ink on paper depicting Budai. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located.
Beyond its 1704 creation date and its presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, the available sources do not provide further details on the work's commission, intermediate ownership, or chain of custody prior to its accession by the museum.
Overview
Created in 1704, this hanging scroll by Ogata Kōrin presents a single figure rendered in ink on paper. The composition centers on Budai, the jovial Buddhist monk often identified as the laughing Buddha, whose rotund form and smiling expression dominate the narrow vertical format.
Context
Within the Rinpa school, artists often combined bold patterning with refined craftsmanship. By allocating most of the paper to empty space, Kōrin aligns with a Japanese aesthetic that values the expressive potential of void, allowing the figure of Budai to stand out against an understated backdrop.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ogata Kōrin (Japanese: 尾形光琳; 1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese landscape illustrator, lacquerer, painter, and textile designer of the Rinpa School.
