Artwork
Untitled

Untitled is an ink painting by the Yuan dynasty literati painting artist After Li Cheng. It dates from 1639 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 47.18.73
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1639 by an anonymous artist working in the style of Li Cheng, this ink and color painting on silk presents a landscape scene depicting a boat upon a lake. Classified within the landscape genre, the imagery focuses on these natural and navigational elements without further iconographic or symbolic interpretation provided in the available records. Originally executed as a fan and subsequently mounted as an album leaf, the work continues traditional Chinese landscape motifs associated with Li Cheng's influence during the seventeenth century.
Technique & Style
Executed circa 1639 in China, the painting belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a boat on a lake, characteristic motifs of the period.
The work is a fan painted in ink and color on silk and later mounted as an album leaf, a portable format. Its support is silk, and the piece was likely handled as a folding fan before being mounted. Measured at 22.5 cm in height and 24.8 cm in width, the dimensions are recorded in the catalog.
Executed circa 1639 in China, the painting belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a boat on a lake, characteristic motifs of the period. The composition emphasizes subtle tonal gradations and a restrained palette, aligning with the conventions of seventeenth-century landscape painting in the manner of Li Cheng.
History & Provenance
Created in 1639 in China by an anonymous artist working in the style of Li Cheng, this landscape painting employs ink and color on silk to depict a boat on a lake. Executed as a fan and mounted as an album leaf, it measures 22.5 by 24.8 centimeters. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
No specific accession number or detailed exhibition history is provided in the available documentation, though the painting remains a permanent part of the museum's holdings.
Overview
This painting, titled Untitled, is a landscape rendered in ink and color on silk, originally created as a fan and later mounted as an album leaf. It dates to 1639 and is attributed to "After Li Cheng," indicating its stylistic connection to the earlier master. The composition depicts a serene lake scene, characterized by misty hills and the presence of boats.
Artist & collection
Artist
The label "After Li Cheng" marks a work produced in the style of, or as a copy after, the Chinese landscape master Li Cheng (919-967), rather than an original by him.


















