Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a silver painting. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A man in a red coat rides a white horse across a flat, golden field. The paper is thin as tissue, and real gold and silver leaf make the sky and the horse's bridle shine. Made in Kota, a small Indian kingdom around 1800, pictures like this displayed a ruler's power and wealth.
Technique & Style
The composition focuses on the formal representation of the rider and animal, adhering to the conventions of the period's visual culture.
Created in India around 1800, this anonymous painting utilizes color, gold, and silver applied directly onto paper. The work measures 31.8 centimeters in height and 24.1 centimeters in width. Stylistically, the piece is classified as a history painting that depicts an equestrian scene featuring a man and a horse.
The inclusion of metallic elements like gold and silver suggests a decorative approach typical of the region's manuscript or album traditions during the early nineteenth century. The composition focuses on the formal representation of the rider and animal, adhering to the conventions of the period's visual culture.
History & Provenance
The work was created in 1800 in India by an anonymous painter, as documented in its Wikidata entry, which also records its medium as color, gold, and silver on paper. Its dimensions are 31.8 cm by 24.1 cm, and it depicts a horse and rider in an equestrian scene. The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, listed under the museum's holdings, indicating its current ownership and institutional provenance. No specific commissioning details or subsequent ownership transfers are recorded in the available sources.
The painting Untitled, created around 1800 by an anonymous artist in India, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The institution serves as both the owner and the current location of the work. While the piece is cataloged within the museum's holdings, the provided records do not specify a unique accession or inventory number.
Furthermore, there is no information available in the current sources regarding any past or present exhibitions featuring this specific equestrian history painting.
Overview
This untitled painting, rendered with color, gold, and silver on paper, depicts a figure in a red coat astride a white horse. The rider traverses a flat, golden landscape, suggesting a scene of movement and perhaps authority. Created around 1800 in the Indian kingdom of Kota, the work's anonymous origin highlights a period of rich artistic production intended to glorify local rulers.
Subject & Meaning
The central image of a man on horseback, dressed in a red coat, conveys a sense of regal presence or military might. The expansive golden field further emphasizes the rider's dominance within the landscape. Such compositions were commonly commissioned by the ruling elite of Kota to project an image of their affluence and authority, serving as visual declarations of their status.
Artist & collection
