Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an unspecified painting by the Song dynasty painting artist After Emperor Huizong. It dates from 1639 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 19.159
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1918
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is executed as a hanging scroll on silk, a traditional format associated with Chinese painting that allows for vertical presentation and controlled handling of delicate fibers. The medium is opaque color applied in fine, controlled brushwork typical of Ming–Qing bird-and-flower subjects, emphasizing linear definition and subtle tonal modulation rather than broad wash effects. Measured at 116.8 cm in height by 53.3 cm in width, the composition is vertically oriented to frame a single falcon, rendered with precise contouring and delicate feather detailing that underscores the bird’s alert stance and plumage texture.
Stylistically, the piece aligns with mid‑17th‑century academic mannerism at the Ming–Qing transition, favoring naturalistic fidelity within a restrained, symmetrical arrangement.
History & Provenance
It was painted on silk as a hanging scroll and depicts a falcon, a subject associated with imperial portraiture and hunting imagery of the period.
The work is dated to 1639, aligning with the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor in the late Ming dynasty. It was painted on silk as a hanging scroll and depicts a falcon, a subject associated with imperial portraiture and hunting imagery of the period.
The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. Technical records at the museum indicate a height of 116.8 cm and a width of 53.3 cm, consistent with hanging scroll formats used for bird-and-flower subjects in seventeenth-century China.
The hanging scroll titled Untitled, created in 1639 after Emperor Huizong, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, which depicts a falcon, is classified as a painting on silk. Specific accession or inventory numbers for this piece are not provided in the available records. The artwork has not been linked to any specific exhibition history within the provided sources.
Overview
This hanging scroll, executed on silk and dated to 1639, presents a solitary falcon perched on a gloved hand against an unadorned tan backdrop. The composition is rendered in a restrained palette, emphasizing the bird’s poised form and the subtle gesture of the hand. The work is unsigned and titled simply as Untitled, reflecting a focus on subject rather than narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a trained falcon, a symbol historically associated with elite hunting practices in imperial China. By placing the bird on a human hand, the image conveys a moment of control and readiness, suggesting the falcon’s preparedness to launch into flight and the owner’s mastery over the animal.
Context
During the Ming dynasty, falconry remained a prestigious pastime among the aristocracy, and depictions of raptors were common in courtly art. This work aligns with that tradition, offering a visual record of the cultural value placed on hunting birds and the technical skill required to portray them with realism.
Artist & collection
Artist
This group of delicate ink-and-silk scrolls carries on the refined brushwork of Song-dynasty court painting.
