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
Technique & Style
The use of opaque watercolor allowed for saturated, localized color application characteristic of palm-leaf manuscript painting from the period.
The work is executed in opaque watercolor on palm leaf, a traditional South Asian support suited to its elongated horizontal format. Measuring 5.7 by 57 centimeters, the narrow dimensions reflect the natural proportions of the palm-leaf strip, on which the pigment would have been applied in fine, controlled strokes to delineate Buddhist religious imagery. The use of opaque watercolor allowed for saturated, localized color application characteristic of palm-leaf manuscript painting from the period.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where its preservation and handling are managed as part of the institution's holdings of related works on this fragile organic support.
History & Provenance
Created in India around 1090, this religious painting depicting Buddhist themes was executed by an anonymous artist using opaque watercolor on a palm leaf. The work, measuring approximately 5.7 by 57 centimeters, eventually entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 55.121.36.13. No specific details regarding its original commission or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
The piece is classified as a painting and remains part of the Metropolitan Museum's holdings, attributed generally to an unknown painter from the region.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is identified by the accession number 55.121.36.13. Created in India around 1090, this opaque watercolor on palm leaf depicts Buddhist themes. While the piece is documented as part of the museum's holdings, the provided records do not list specific past exhibitions or loan history for this particular object.
Overview
This small, untitled painting, rendered in opaque watercolor on a palm leaf, originates from Bengal nearly a millennium ago. It depicts figures in gold, red, and blue seated beneath a tree, their hands raised in a gesture of teaching. Likely a page from a larger Buddhist manuscript, this work served to illustrate narratives from the life of the Buddha.
Subject & Meaning
The scene portrays several figures, distinguished by their gold, red, and blue attire, gathered beneath a tree. Their raised hand gestures suggest instruction or discourse, a common motif in Buddhist iconography. This particular leaf likely formed part of a comprehensive series, illustrating various episodes and teachings from the life and enlightenment of the Buddha.
Artist & collection
Untitled
Text, folio 165 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
Text, folio 168 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
