Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1816 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2008.359.45
- Credit line
- Gift of Subhash Kapoor, in memory of his parents, Smt Shashi Kanta and Shree Parshotam Ram Kapoor, 2008
About this work
Technique & Style
The work functions as a portrait of a man, utilizing the fluid properties of watercolor to achieve a translucent effect while relying on ink for definition.
Created in 1816 in India, this anonymous portrait is executed in ink, wash, and translucent watercolor applied to paper. The work functions as a portrait of a man, utilizing the fluid properties of watercolor to achieve a translucent effect while relying on ink for definition. As a painting classified within the portrait genre, the piece demonstrates the handling of mixed media on a paper support, characteristic of regional artistic practices of the early nineteenth century.
The combination of opaque ink and transparent washes suggests a deliberate approach to rendering the sitter's features and form through layered application.
History & Provenance
The work, an anonymous portrait of a man, was produced in 1816 in India using ink, wash, and translucent watercolor on paper. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The artist remains unidentified and no record of a commission survives. The available sources do not specify an accession number or any exhibition history for the work.
Overview
This untitled painting, executed with ink, wash, and translucent watercolor on paper, depicts a man in profile. Originating from the Punjab plains in the early 1800s, the work showcases a calm, turbaned figure. Its anonymous nature, both in artist and subject, is characteristic of some regional productions from this period.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork presents a man in profile, his features rendered with delicate ink lines and subtle shading. He is depicted wearing a turban and a plain coat, conveying a sense of quiet composure. The absence of a background directs attention entirely to the figure, whose identity, like that of the artist, remains unrecorded.
Artist & collection
