Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a silver painting by the Nihonga artist Shibata Zeshin. It dates from 1837 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 36.100.119
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The album leaf presents a landscape composition centered on a moon rendered in lacquer over silver paper, accompanied by plant forms.
The album leaf presents a landscape composition centered on a moon rendered in lacquer over silver paper, accompanied by plant forms. The pairing of the moon with botanical elements reflects a traditional Japanese visual vocabulary in which nocturnal skies and natural growth are joined to evoke contemplative, atmospheric scenery. By applying lacquer onto silver ground, Shibata Zeshin exploits the reflective metallic surface to suggest the cool luminosity of moonlight, while the silhouetted plants anchor the celestial body within a terrestrial setting.
This juxtaposition of sky and flora conveys the quiet interplay between light and nature characteristic of lacquer painting, transforming a minimal motif into a meditation on nocturnal landscape.
Technique & Style
The work is executed on a single album leaf using a lacquer coating applied to silvered paper, a technique documented for Shibata Zeshin's 1837 painting. The support is thin paper typical of Japanese album leaves, and the surface exhibits a subtle sheen from the lacquer. The composition depicts a moonlit scene with stylized plant forms, reflecting the landscape genre.
Created in Japan, the piece is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where its dimensions (approximately 12.1 × 8.9 cm) are recorded.
History & Provenance
The lacquer painting on silver paper is dated to 1837 and was produced in Japan by Shibata Zeshin. It is recorded as an album leaf, a format consistent with works created during the artist's early career. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located.
No intermediate ownership history, commission details, or earlier provenance prior to its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art is documented in the available sources.
Context
Untitled (1837) by Shibata Zeshin is a lacquer-on-silver-paper album leaf that belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a moonlit plant motif. The work was produced in Japan and entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As an example of late Edo-period lacquer painting, it illustrates the tradition of depicting natural subjects such as the moon and vegetation, a motif recurrent in Japanese visual culture.
Its classification within the Paintings category and inclusion in a major museum collection underscore its significance as an example of Zeshin's distinctive use of lacquer as a painting medium.
Overview
Shibata Zeshin's "Untitled," created in 1837, is a distinctive landscape rendered on an album leaf. This painting employs the unusual medium of lacquer applied to silver paper, a technique that sets it apart. The composition features a serene nocturnal scene, characteristic of the artist's innovative approach to traditional Japanese art forms.
Artist & collection
