Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting. It dates from 1777 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition reflects the artist’s interest in capturing quiet moments of nature, a common theme in Chinese landscape genre works of the period.
The work presents a solitary bird in close proximity to a leaf. Both elements are rendered in ink and color on silk, characteristic of 18th‑century Chinese album leaf paintings. The bird and leaf function as visual motifs rather than narrative figures, emphasizing natural observation.
The composition reflects the artist’s interest in capturing quiet moments of nature, a common theme in Chinese landscape genre works of the period. The piece is dated 1777 and was produced in China before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Technique & Style
The work is executed on silk using ink and polychrome pigments, applied in the manner of a hand‑painted fan that is mounted as a single leaf within an album. The support is therefore a thin silk panel, handled as a delicate fan leaf, and the painting’s dimensions measure 28.6 cm in height by 27.3 cm in width, consistent with Chinese album‑leaf formats of the late 18th century.
It belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a bird perched among a leaf, a motif typical of bird‑and‑flower compositions from China. The composition relies on sparse brushwork and subtle color washes to suggest natural detail, while the fan‑leaf mounting emphasizes a portable, intimate viewing experience.
History & Provenance
The work, titled Untitled, was created in 1777 in China by an anonymous artist. Originally executed as a fan, the piece is now mounted as an album leaf using ink and color on silk. It currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified as a landscape painting depicting a bird and a leaf.
The work titled Untitled, created in 1777 by an unknown artist, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the source material identifies the museum as the holding institution and notes the work's depiction of a bird and a leaf, no specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records. The painting, executed as ink and color on silk mounted as an album leaf, has not been linked to any specific exhibition history within the provided documentation.
Overview
This work consists of a silk fan that has been mounted as an album leaf, a format frequently employed in the Baroque era for preserving and exhibiting small-scale paintings. The piece is executed with ink and color, creating a compact yet detailed composition.
Context
During the Baroque period, fans served both functional and decorative purposes, often becoming canvases for artists to experiment with composition on a modest scale. Such pieces were prized for their portability and the intimacy of their viewing experience.
Artist & collection
Flowers and Birds
Flowers and Birds
Untitled
摺物帖 『春雨集』 『花鳥六番之内 下野宇都宮』 桃に山鳩|Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 3: Mountain Dove and Peach Flowers
南宋 佚名 竹梅小禽圖 團扇|Sparrows, plum blossoms, and bamboo
Bird on a Flowering Branch
Untitled
宋？ 佚名 傳宋徽宗 白頭海棠圖 卷|Chinese Bulbuls on Flowering Cherry-Apple
Untitled
