Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work depicts a solitary donkey positioned on a modest expanse of earth, its ears raised and eyes alert.
- Accession no.
- 1977.440.12
- Credit line
- Gift of Daniel J. Slott, 1977
About this work
The donkey’s simple shape and bright outline feel almost like a sketch, but it’s finished work.
A donkey stands alone on a patch of dirt, its ears perked and eyes wide. The background is bare, just a few quick strokes of ink to suggest the ground.
This painting comes from Gujarat, India, around 1800. Back then, artists often used watercolor mixed with white to make colors pop. The donkey’s simple shape and bright outline feel almost like a sketch, but it’s finished work.
No one knows who painted it, but it was likely made for a local patron, not a museum.
If you like this, look up other works in the subject: donkeys.
Subject & Meaning
Created around 1800 in India, this ink and opaque watercolor painting on paper presents a solitary donkey as its sole subject. The work functions as a straightforward animal study, focusing entirely on the depiction of the beast without accompanying narrative figures, landscapes, or explicit symbolic attributes identified in available records. As an untitled piece by an unknown artist, the image represents a direct observation of the animal, likely serving as a record of local fauna or a practice in rendering form and texture rather than conveying a complex allegorical meaning.
Technique & Style
Created in India around 1800, this work is executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper. The composition features a depiction of a donkey, rendered through the application of these pigments on a two-dimensional support. The piece measures 8.1 cm in height by 11.4 cm in width.
Classified as a painting, the artwork utilizes opaque watercolor to achieve its visual effects, a medium characteristic of the region and period. The handling of the ink and pigment defines the formal qualities of the anonymous artist's approach to the subject matter.
History & Provenance
The work is attributed to an unknown artist and dated to 1800. It was created in India using ink and opaque watercolor on paper. The painting depicts a donkey. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It carries the accession number 1977.440.12. The museum identifies the piece as a painting by an anonymous artist created in India around 1800. The provided sources do not list any specific exhibitions where this object has been displayed.
Context
The painting Untitled, executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper in 1800, portrays a donkey and measures 8.1 cm by 11.4 cm. It is classified as a work of the Paintings category and is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recorded under accession number 1977.440.12.
Scholarship on the piece situates it within the corpus of anonymous Indian artists, highlighting its role in illustrating artistic practices in India during the early nineteenth century and informing broader narratives of regional painting traditions.
Legacy
Untitled, dated 1800, is an ink and opaque watercolor on paper portraying a donkey, produced in India by an anonymous artist. It belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection and is classified as a painting.
The work also informs studies of ink technique in the period, reflecting contemporary material practices. Its presence in a leading museum has made the work a reference for scholarship on anonymous Indian painters and on the depiction of domestic animals in early 19th‑century art.
Overview
The work depicts a solitary donkey positioned on a modest expanse of earth, its ears raised and eyes alert. The composition is minimal, with only a few swift ink strokes suggesting the surrounding ground. Rendered on paper, the piece combines ink line work with opaque watercolor washes, creating a clear, uncomplicated visual statement.
Artist & collection
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