Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a gold painting by the Joseon dynasty painting artist Shibata Zeshin. It dates from 1837 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The artist's handling of lacquer on the metallic support allows for the depiction of a dock and fire.
Created in 1837, this work by Shibata Zeshin is an album leaf executed in lacquer on gold paper. Measuring 12.1 cm in height and 8.9 cm in width, the piece functions as a painting within the landscape genre. The artist's handling of lacquer on the metallic support allows for the depiction of a dock and fire.
This specific combination of materials and the resulting formal qualities characterize the work as a distinct example of Japanese painting from the mid-nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
Created in 1837 by the Japanese artist Shibata Zeshin, this album leaf features a landscape scene depicting a dock and fire. The work was executed using lacquer applied to gold paper. It currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, having been made in Japan.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is identified as an album leaf painted in lacquer on gold paper. Its place of creation is Japan, and it dates to 1837.
No accession number, credit line, or specific gallery assignment is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Created in 1837, this album leaf by Shibata Zeshin depicts a nocturnal landscape featuring a dock engulfed in flames. Executed in the rare medium of lacquer on gold paper, the work exemplifies Zeshin's innovative approach to applying traditional lacquer techniques, typically reserved for functional objects like bowls and boxes, onto a two-dimensional pictorial surface. The composition utilizes the reflective quality of the gold ground to simulate the illumination of the fire, while the black lacquer defines the silhouettes of the burning structure and surrounding darkness.
This piece highlights the artist's mastery in manipulating lacquer to achieve painterly effects, bridging the gap between decorative arts and fine painting during the late Edo period. The work stands as a significant example of Zeshin's early career experimentation with materiality, demonstrating how he transformed the glossy, durable medium of urushi into a vehicle for atmospheric landscape painting. The contrast between the dark lacquer flames and the luminous gold background creates a striking visual tension, capturing the intensity of the fire against the night sky.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a dramatic nocturnal landscape, centered on a dock consumed by fire. The small scale of the image intensifies the scene, drawing the viewer into the glowing square of the burning structure. This depiction of destruction against a dark backdrop creates a powerful visual contrast, suggesting themes of transience or the raw power of nature, rendered with a unique material sensibility.
Artist & collection
