Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a paint painting. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 64.115
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexis Zalstem-Zalessky, 1964
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This 1849 painting in color on silk depicts a Buddhist religious subject, the descent of the Buddha from the Trāyastriṃśa heaven, his return to earth after preaching to his mother in the celestial realm. The composition pairs the figure of the Buddha with a musician, consistent with Thai Buddhist iconography in which attendants accompany the Buddha during this miraculous descent. The work belongs to the genre of religious painting, its imagery drawn from Buddhist narrative tradition, and it functions as a visual representation of a key episode in the life of the Buddha, conveying doctrinal meaning through the depiction of the divine descent and accompanying figures.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in color on silk, a traditional support associated with Thai religious painting of the nineteenth century, and is presented framed.
The work is executed in color on silk, a traditional support associated with Thai religious painting of the nineteenth century, and is presented framed. Painted in 1849, the piece reflects the conventions of devotional Thai panel painting, in which pigment-bound colorants are applied to a silk ground prepared to receive fine, narrative imagery. No further technical details regarding pigment composition, ground preparation, brushwork, or current condition are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The untitled Thai work on silk is dated to 1849. Classified as a religious painting, it depicts the descent of the Buddha from the Trāyastriṃśa heaven, with the Buddha and a musician rendered in color on silk and subsequently framed. It is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession number 1978.238.1, and was recorded in the museum's collection in 1978.
No information regarding its commission or earlier ownership prior to its acquisition by the museum is documented in the available sources.
Overview
This 19th-century Thai painting, titled "Untitled," features a central golden Buddha figure seated on a lotus. Rendered with color on silk, the artwork also includes two musicians positioned below the deity, playing a lute and a drum. The composition reflects a common artistic practice in Thailand during this period, where spiritual themes were often intertwined with musical elements, creating a harmonious visual narrative.
Artist & collection
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Untitled
Untitled
Legend of Vasudhara (Ashvaghosha Avadana)
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Untitled
Tantric Manuscript, "Sangrahani Sutra"
The Story of King Mandhatar; The Story of King Candraprabha; The Tale of the Island of Vadaradvipa, Painting from an Avadana Kalpalata Jataka Series
Untitled