Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1765 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1975.412
- Credit line
- Gift of Paul F. Walter, 1975
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The untitled 1765 ink and opaque watercolor on paper depicts the Hindu deity Vishnu alongside a horse and a man, situating the work within the religious genre of Indian painting. The pairing of Vishnu with equine and human figures suggests a narrative or devotional iconography drawn from Hindu tradition, though the specific episode or textual source is not identified in the available documentation. As an anonymous devotional work produced in India and now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painting functions both as a religious image and as a representative example of eighteenth-century Indian manuscript or devotional painting practice.
Technique & Style
3 centimeters suggest an intimate, small-scale format consistent with manuscript or album-style production.
Executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, this 1765 work employs a traditional Indian painting technique combining linear ink drawing with flat, opaque color washes. The modest dimensions of approximately 15.9 by 21.3 centimeters suggest an intimate, small-scale format consistent with manuscript or album-style production. The use of opaque watercolor on paper is characteristic of late-period Indian miniature painting traditions, where fine brushwork delineates figures and animals before color is applied in layered, matte fields.
History & Provenance
Created in 1765 in India, this ink and opaque watercolor on paper depicts Vishnu alongside a horse and a man. The work is attributed to an anonymous artist, with no specific commission details or earlier ownership records available in the provided documentation. Currently, the painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located. The piece measures 15.9 by 21.3 units and is classified within the religious genre.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located. According to available records, no specific inventory or accession number is documented for this untitled 1765 painting. The sources do not provide information regarding any prior or subsequent exhibition history, loans, or display venues beyond its current institutional home. Consequently, the documented provenance is limited to its presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's holdings.
Overview
This untitled painting, executed with ink and opaque watercolor on paper, originates from the Punjab Hills in northern India. It depicts a Hindu deity, Vishnu, mounted on a white horse amidst a dynamic assembly of figures and animals. The composition, though intricate, maintains a sense of balance, characterized by its vibrant palette and precise draftsmanship.
Artist & collection
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