Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1878 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition reflects a narrative of hunt and power, as indicated by the inclusion of hunting, man, bow and arrow, elephant, and tiger in the description.
The work depicts a hunting scene with a man drawing a bow and arrow while an elephant and a tiger are present. These elements constitute the iconography of the painting, which is classified as a genre scene. The composition reflects a narrative of hunt and power, as indicated by the inclusion of hunting, man, bow and arrow, elephant, and tiger in the description.
Executed in ink, transparent and opaque watercolor on paper in 1877, the piece was created in India and is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
Technique & Style
Created in 1877 in India, this anonymous work is classified as a painting executed on paper. The artist employed a mixed-media approach utilizing ink alongside both transparent and opaque watercolors to render the composition. Stylistically, the piece functions as a genre scene, depicting a narrative hunting event that features a man, an elephant, and a tiger, with the presence of a bow and arrow noted within the imagery.
The combination of opaque and transparent washes suggests a layered application of pigment to achieve specific visual effects on the paper support.
History & Provenance
The painting, titled Untitled, is dated 1877. It is an anonymous work executed in ink and transparent/opaque watercolor on paper. Made in India, it depicts a hunting scene featuring a man, tiger, elephant, and bow and arrow and is classified as a genre painting.
The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which lists it in its collection. No earlier owners or commission are recorded in the available sources.
The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is accessioned as part of the museum’s permanent collection. Its inventory number is not specified in the cited sources. The painting was included in the museum’s holdings as of the date of the Wikidata entry, which records its inception as 1877. No exhibition history is provided by the available sources.
Overview
This untitled work, rendered with ink and watercolors on paper, depicts a dynamic hunting scene. A central figure, armed with a bow, confronts a tiger, while a retinue of other hunters and two elephants are positioned in the background. The composition captures a moment of tension and action, characteristic of hunting narratives from the region.
Artist & collection
- A Raja on an Elephant
Madhavchandra Giri
Indra
The Elephant of Maharana Jai Singh of Mewar (r. 1680–98) Catches a Horse by the Tail
Prince Amar Singh (1672–1710) Drives His Own Elephant
Untitled
A Prince Riding an Elephant in Procession
Durga Fighting an Elephant, Bull and Tiger
Raghuraj Singh hunting tigers Datia,
Maharao Ram Singh II
Maharana Sarup Singh of Udaipur
The Elephant of Maharana Jai Singh of Mewar (r. 1680–98) Catches a Horse by the Tail
