Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1090 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
This painting shows a Buddhist scene on a palm leaf. It's old, from around 1090, and that's really interesting because it shows how art was made a long time ago. The fact that it's on a palm leaf is also notable, as this was a common material used in ancient India for writing and art. You can learn more about this type of art by looking into the subject: Buddhism.
Subject & Meaning
As an anonymous creation, the piece relies on established religious motifs rather than individual artistic interpretation to convey its spiritual significance.
Created in India around 1090, this opaque watercolor on a palm leaf functions as a work of religious art. The imagery explicitly depicts themes associated with Buddhism, serving as a visual representation of the faith's iconography. As an anonymous creation, the piece relies on established religious motifs rather than individual artistic interpretation to convey its spiritual significance.
The format, utilizing a narrow palm leaf, suggests it may have originally formed part of a larger manuscript or served as a devotional object within a monastic or lay context. The work's primary meaning is rooted in its function as a Buddhist religious artifact, intended to illustrate or honor aspects of the tradition.
Technique & Style
This work is executed in opaque watercolor on a palm leaf support, a traditional South Asian format suited to the long, narrow proportions of the page. The palm leaf provides a rigid, fibrous ground that constrains the pictorial field, encouraging a horizontal, frieze-like composition typical of Buddhist manuscript painting produced in India during the late 11th century. The opaque watercolor medium allows for dense, saturated pigment application directly onto the prepared leaf surface, producing the flat, vivid coloration characteristic of the technique.
With a height of 5.7 cm and a width of 57 cm, the elongated format reflects the standardized dimensions of palm-leaf folios used for religious texts and their accompanying illuminations.
History & Provenance
The work, titled Untitled, is a religious painting created in India around the year 1090. Executed in opaque watercolor on a palm leaf, the piece measures 5.7 centimeters in height and 57 centimeters in width. It was produced by an anonymous artist, as no specific creator is identified in the historical record.
The artwork depicts Buddhist themes and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 55.121.36.21. The creation date is established as January 1, 1090, situating the piece within the late 11th-century artistic tradition of India. The work represents a significant example of early religious art from the region, preserved through its inclusion in a major museum collection.
The work titled Untitled is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, listed under accession number MET 55.121.36.21, and is housed in New York. Its medium is recorded as opaque watercolor on palm leaf, dating to 1090, and it is classified as a religious painting depicting Buddhist subject matter. The object’s dimensions measure 5.7 × 57 cm and it was produced in India.
Exhibition records are not mentioned in the available documentation, indicating that the piece has not been publicly exhibited according to the supplied sources.
Overview
This untitled painting, created around 1090, depicts a Buddhist narrative. Executed with opaque watercolor on a palm leaf, it represents an early form of artistic expression. The work provides insight into the visual culture of its period, showcasing both the artistic practices and the prevalent religious themes of ancient India. Its material and subject matter are characteristic of art from this historical era.
Artist & collection
Text, folio 165 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Untitled
Text, Folio 146 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Untitled
Untitled
Text, Folio 132 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Untitled
Text, folio 43 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 184 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
