Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting. It dates from 1506 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This hanging scroll presents a tranquil landscape rendered on silk.
- Accession no.
- 47.18.124
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is a hanging scroll executed in ink and color on silk, a traditional East Asian format that allows the painting to be mounted and displayed vertically.
The work is a hanging scroll executed in ink and color on silk, a traditional East Asian format that allows the painting to be mounted and displayed vertically. Classified within the landscape genre, it was produced in China and dates to 1506.
The scroll measures 49.5 cm in height by 34.9 cm in width, giving it a narrow vertical proportion suited to the hanging-scroll format. The combination of ink and color on silk is characteristic of Chinese painting practice of the period, where silk served as a durable, smooth support for layered washes and fine brushwork.
History & Provenance
Untitled is a hanging scroll painted in ink and color on silk, depicting a landscape. The work was created in 1506 in China and is classified as a painting within the landscape genre. It is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The artwork was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art at an unknown date, and its provenance reflects continuous ownership by the museum since acquisition. The dating of the work is based on stylistic analysis and technical examination, placing its creation in the early 16th century.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is identified as a hanging scroll executed in ink and color on silk.
No accession number, acquisition history, or exhibition records are documented in the available sources.
Overview
This hanging scroll presents a tranquil landscape rendered on silk. A solitary, robust tree dominates the foreground, its thick trunk and spreading branches set against a backdrop of distant mountains. Smaller vegetation clusters near the base of the tree, creating a layered composition that guides the eye from foreground to horizon.
Subject & Meaning
The central tree functions as a focal point, symbolizing endurance within a natural setting. The juxtaposition of the massive trunk with the softer, diminutive plants suggests a dialogue between strength and fragility, while the distant mountains provide a sense of vastness and contemplation.
Artist & collection
