Artwork
Untitled

Untitled is an ink painting by the Romanticist artist Torii Kiyonaga. It dates from 1775 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a solitary woman, presented within the genre of a portrait.
The work depicts a solitary woman, presented within the genre of a portrait. Created by Torii Kiyonaga in 1775, the painting focuses entirely on this female figure without depicting additional narrative scenes or complex iconographic elements. As a hanging scroll executed in ink and color on silk, the subject is rendered as the central and sole focus of the composition, representing the artist's engagement with portraiture of women in late 18th-century Japan.
Technique & Style
The work is executed as a hanging scroll using ink and polychrome pigments on silk. Its support consists of the silk fabric, measuring approximately 103.5 cm in height by 31.8 cm in width, and it is displayed in a vertical orientation typical of the format.
The piece belongs to the portrait genre and portrays a female figure, a common subject in the artist’s oeuvre. Executed in Japan around 1775, the composition reflects the linear elegance and flat decorative patterning characteristic of Torii school works.
Overview
Created in 1775, this hanging scroll by Torii Kiyonaga presents a solitary female figure rendered in ink and color on silk. The composition is intimate, focusing on a woman in a vivid red garment who leans against a bamboo screen, her visage partially concealed by a handheld fan. The work exemplifies the artist’s precise line work and restrained palette.
History & Provenance
Torii Kiyonaga, known primarily for his print workshop, applied his expertise in economical brushwork to this painted scroll. Although the scroll bears no title, its date and stylistic traits align it with the artist’s late career output. The piece remains in a private collection, with no recorded exhibition history beyond its cataloguing in recent scholarly surveys.
Artist & collection












