Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 47.18.71
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The inclusion of fish alongside the human subjects suggests a thematic focus on domestic or communal activities, characteristic of genre painting traditions.
The artwork depicts a genre scene featuring a man, a woman, and fish, rendered in ink and color on silk. Created in 1849 by an anonymous Chinese painter, the composition presents these figures within a single album leaf format. While the specific iconographic program or symbolic intent of the interaction between the human figures and the aquatic life is not explicitly detailed in available records, the work functions as a representation of everyday life.
The inclusion of fish alongside the human subjects suggests a thematic focus on domestic or communal activities, characteristic of genre painting traditions. The piece remains attributed to an unknown artist, emphasizing its status as a collective cultural artifact from mid-19th century China rather than a work defined by a singular named creator's specific symbolic agenda.
Technique & Style
The work is an album leaf painted in ink and polychrome on silk, a support typical of Chinese handscroll traditions. Executed circa 1849, the piece was created with a brush on a rectangular silk support measuring roughly 27 × 27.8 cm. The artist employed delicate line work and subtle washes to render a fish alongside a man and a woman, a genre scene that suggests narrative interaction. Stylistically, the composition balances negative space with figure detail, using restrained color accents characteristic of mid-19th-century Chinese painting.
History & Provenance
Created in 1849 in China, this album leaf features ink and color on silk. The artist remains unknown, with the work attributed to an anonymous painter. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The work depicts a genre scene involving a man, a woman, and fish. Its physical dimensions are recorded as 27.0 cm in height and 27.8 cm in width.
Overview
This untitled painting, rendered in ink and color on silk, presents a quiet domestic scene. It features a man and a woman seated together at a table laden with a modest meal. The work is an album leaf, suggesting it was once part of a larger collection of similar pieces. The composition invites contemplation of everyday life through its depiction of the figures' interactions.
Artist & collection
