Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a paint painting. It dates from 1777 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Together, these elements align with traditional Chinese allegorical conventions, where natural motifs and mythical beings convey moral or cosmic order.
The painting depicts a landscape populated by three principal subjects: a bird, a mythical creature, and a woman. The bird is positioned amid foliage, suggesting themes of nature and flight, while the mythical creature, likely a qilin or similar auspicious beast, carries symbolic weight tied to protection or harmony. The female figure, centrally placed, appears engaged with the landscape, possibly embodying ideals of virtue or contemplation.
Together, these elements align with traditional Chinese allegorical conventions, where natural motifs and mythical beings convey moral or cosmic order. The composition’s emphasis on harmony between figures and setting reinforces its representation of an idealized natural world.
Technique & Style
The work is an album leaf painted in color on silk, dating to 1777 and classified as a painting within the landscape genre. Its support consists of a rectangular silk panel measuring 12.4 cm in height by 36.8 cm in width, produced in China and now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection. The composition depicts a bird, a mythical creature, and a woman within a traditional Chinese landscape, rendered with delicate brushwork and a muted palette typical of Qing‑era silk paintings. The artist remains anonymous, and the sources do not provide further details on its present condition.
History & Provenance
The artwork titled Untitled, an album leaf painted in 1777, is held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It was accessioned under the inventory number 46.63.7. As part of the museum's paintings classification, this piece is cataloged as a landscape depicting a bird, a mythical creature, and a woman.
Created in China by an anonymous artist, the work measures 12.4 by 36.8 centimeters. The provided sources confirm its current location and accession details but do not list specific exhibition histories or past display records for this object.
Overview
This untitled painting, an album leaf, features a complex composition rendered with color on silk. It depicts a diverse array of subjects, including human figures, animals, and fantastical beings, all set within a detailed landscape. The work is notable for its rich palette and intricate visual elements, creating a scene that integrates disparate motifs into a cohesive whole, inviting close examination of its many components.
Artist & collection
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Hunting in the Hills and Pictorial
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Mukhtar throws his wife Maimuna into the pit, but she saves herself, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fifth Night
A prince visiting a holy man in a rocky landscape
A Prince Visiting a Holy Man in a Rocky Landscape (recto)
