Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Romanticist artist Sakai Hōitsu. It dates from 1815 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
If you like the quiet beauty of these flowers, look up the subject flowers, japan, flower for more works like it.
You see a long paper scroll with two sprays of flowers, one red, one white, drawn in ink and soft colors.
Hōitsu painted this in 1815 as part of a set. The scroll was meant to be unrolled slowly, so each bloom feels like a surprise. The red flowers are camellias; the white ones are plum.
Both were common in Japanese art, but Hōitsu made them look fresh by leaving lots of empty space around them.
If you like the quiet beauty of these flowers, look up the subject flowers, japan, flower for more works like it.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts flowers, serving as the central subject of this still life composition. Created in 1815 by Sakai Hōitsu, the piece utilizes ink and color on paper to render these botanical forms within a handscroll format. As a genre work, the painting focuses on the natural beauty of the floral elements without additional narrative or symbolic complexity described in the available records.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds the piece, which measures 33.9 cm in height and 925 cm in width, emphasizing the elongated presentation of the flowers typical of the scroll medium.
Technique & Style
Sakai Hōitsu's Untitled, created in 1815, is executed as a handscroll on paper. The artist employed ink and color as the primary media to render floral subjects. Measuring 33.9 cm in height and 925 cm in width, the work is classified within the still-life genre.
The elongated format of the scroll facilitates a continuous visual narrative, while the combination of ink outlines with colored areas defines the piece's formal character. This specific handling of materials on paper support reflects the traditional Japanese painting practices of the period.
History & Provenance
Untitled is a handscroll painted in ink and color on paper in 1815 by Sakai Hōitsu, a work classified as a still life depicting a flower. It was created in Japan and entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view.
The painting was produced in 1815, with its inception recorded as 1815-01-01, and measures 33.9 cm in height by 925 cm in width. It is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's holdings, listed under the artist Sakai Hōitsu.
Provenance and ownership are limited to its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with no further documented chain of title beyond institutional acquisition.
The handscroll Untitled by Sakai Hōitsu, created in 1815, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work, which depicts flowers and measures 33.9 cm in height with a total width of 925 cm, is cataloged within the museum's holdings of Japanese paintings. No specific accession number or exhibition history is provided in the available records for this particular piece.
Overview
Created in 1815, this hand‑scroll by Sakai Hōitsu presents a minimalist still‑life composition of two flower clusters. Rendered on paper with ink and subtle color washes, the work unfolds horizontally, inviting the viewer to experience each bloom sequentially as the scroll is unrolled.
Artist & collection
