Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The composition portrays a flag together with a solitary human figure, aligning with its classification as a history painting.
The work is a handscroll created in 1885 using ink and color on silk, measuring 24.8 cm in height and 64.8 cm in width. Its support takes the form of a handscroll, a format customary in Chinese painting of the period. The composition portrays a flag together with a solitary human figure, aligning with its classification as a history painting. Executed in China, the piece is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection (accession 45.97.10).
History & Provenance
The handscroll painting known as Untitled was created in China in 1885. The work is attributed to an anonymous artist and executed in ink and color on silk. It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is cataloged as accession number 45.97.10. The scroll depicts human figures and a flag, consistent with its classification as a history painting.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is catalogued under the accession number 45.97.10. According to the Wikidata record identifying the work by that accession reference, its location is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
The work is an untitled handscroll executed in ink and color on silk. As a painted scroll, it unfolds horizontally, allowing a narrative or compositional sequence to be viewed as the viewer unrolls the piece. The medium combines delicate brushwork with pigments, typical of East Asian scroll painting traditions.
Subject & Meaning
Figures and flags dominate the composition, positioned deliberately along the scroll’s length. The juxtaposition of human presence with emblems suggests an exploration of collective identity, possibly reflecting relationships between individuals and their communal or national affiliations.
Context
Handscrolls of this type were historically used for both private contemplation and public display, often conveying stories or ceremonial scenes. The inclusion of flags aligns the piece with motifs that celebrate or document cultural or political symbolism within a visual narrative.
Artist & collection
- Untitled
Untitled
清 那爾敦布 順治皇帝進京之隊伍賽馬全圖 卷|Horsemanship Competition for the Shunzhi Emperor
A military review
Untitled
源氏物語絵巻 「澪標」|“Channel Markers” (Miotsukushi)
The royal procession of Shah Alam II proceeding to Delhi along the banks of the channels of the river Jumna and crossing a bridge of boats.
Untitled
Qasam al-Abbas Arrives from Mecca and Crushes Tahmasp with a Mace
Festive Dancing at a Samurai Residence (Fūryū odori zu byōbu)
A Newly Cut Print: Scenes from the First Part of Outlaws of the Marsh
秋夜長物語|A Long Tale for an Autumn Night (Aki no yo nagamonogatari)
