Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting. It dates from 1183 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition isolates the figure against a minimal background, emphasizing the animal's form and presence within the natural world.
The work depicts a gibbon, serving as the singular subject of this landscape painting. Created in 1183 by an anonymous artist, the image focuses on the primate rendered in ink on silk. As a genre landscape featuring this specific animal, the piece represents a traditional Chinese artistic approach to nature, where the gibbon is the central iconographic element.
The composition isolates the figure against a minimal background, emphasizing the animal's form and presence within the natural world.
Technique & Style
Created in 1183, this work is executed in ink on silk, originally fashioned as a fan before being mounted as an album leaf. The piece depicts a gibbon within a landscape setting, characteristic of Chinese painting traditions from that period. Physically, the artwork measures 24.4 cm in height and 23.8 cm in width.
The handling of the ink on the silk support captures the formal qualities of the subject through the anonymous artist's technique.
History & Provenance
Created in 1183 in China, this ink-on-silk landscape was produced by an anonymous artist. The work, which depicts a gibbon, was originally executed as a fan before being mounted as an album leaf. It currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The work titled Untitled is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and is housed in its galleries in New York. The object is catalogued as a fan mounted as an album leaf, ink on silk, dating to 1183 and depicting a gibbon. Its dimensions measure 24.4 cm in height by 23.8 cm in width, and it was produced in China.
The sources do not provide an explicit inventory or accession number for the piece, nor do they record any documented exhibition history beyond its inclusion in the museum’s permanent holdings. Consequently, the work’s provenance is limited to its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view as part of the Asian art installations.
Overview
This work, an untitled fan mounted as an album leaf, presents a scene of gibbons within a Chinese landscape. Executed in ink on silk, the piece exemplifies the refined brushwork typical of East Asian miniature painting, where the delicate fabric serves both as support and as a subtle backdrop for the figures.
Context
Fans and album leaves were common vehicles for portable art in imperial China, serving both decorative and functional purposes. This piece reflects that cultural practice, integrating a narrative scene into an everyday object, thereby blurring the line between utilitarian object and artwork.
Artist & collection
