Untitled

Untitled is a hanging scroll painted by Shibata Zeshin in 1849 using black paint on silk. The work belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a boat and a mountain, subjects recorded in the artist’s catalogue. It measures 30.2 cm in height and 94.9 cm in width and was produced in Japan.

The piece entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view in the Japanese art galleries. Its creation is documented as part of Zeshin’s early mature period, reflecting his experimentation with monochrome ink techniques.

Created by Shibata Zeshin in 1849, this hanging scroll on silk depicts a landscape featuring a boat and mountains. As a work from the mid-19th century, it represents the artist's practice in painting during the Edo period. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as an example of Zeshin's versatility beyond his renowned lacquerware.

The work measures 30.2 cm in height and 94.9 cm in width, executed in black paint on silk.

Shibata Zeshin’s Untitled (1849) remains best known for its inclusion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as a hanging scroll measuring 30.2 cm by 94.9 cm and depicting a boat and mountain. The painting’s presence in a major institutional collection has made it a reference point for studies of Meiji‑era Japanese landscape art, and scholars cite it when examining Zeshin’s synthesis of traditional techniques with modern subject matter. Its documented dimensions and provenance contribute to a clearer understanding of the artist’s technical output, while its exhibition history underscores its recognized status within the canon of Japanese painting.

Shibata Zeshin's 1849 work, "Untitled," is a hanging scroll rendered in black ink on silk. This landscape composition presents a solitary boat navigating dark waters beneath the imposing presence of jagged mountains. The piece exemplifies a restrained approach to depicting natural scenery, relying solely on monochrome tones to evoke atmosphere and form.