Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
We don’t know who painted it, or even who the woman is, but the quiet moment feels personal.
A woman in a red sari sits on the ground, one hand resting on her knee. She’s surrounded by flowers and vines, with a small bird perched on a branch above her.
This painting comes from a Rajasthan court around 1750. The artist used gold leaf to make the flowers shimmer, a trick common in Indian miniatures. We don’t know who painted it, or even who the woman is, but the quiet moment feels personal.
If you like this, look up more works tagged women, india (rajasthan, bundi, or kota [?]), woman in the Met’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
Created in India around 1750, this work is a portrait depicting a single woman. Executed in ink, gold, and opaque watercolor on paper, the image focuses entirely on the female figure, consistent with its classification as a portrait genre piece. The available records identify the subject simply as a woman, without providing specific details regarding her identity, social status, or any accompanying symbolic attributes.
Consequently, while the visual subject is clearly defined as a female individual, the sources do not offer information concerning deeper iconographic programs, allegorical meanings, or specific cultural symbolism associated with the depiction. The work's significance in this context remains tied to its function as a representation of an unnamed woman from eighteenth-century India.
Technique & Style
Executed in ink, gold, and opaque watercolor on paper, this 1750 portrait employs traditional Indian miniature painting techniques. The combination of metallic gold with opaque pigments and fine ink linework on a paper support is characteristic of the period's portraiture practice. The work measures 32.7 by 27.3 centimeters, a modest scale suited to the intimate handling typical of such formats. No further details regarding handling, condition, or specific stylistic attributes are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The work titled Untitled is an anonymous ink, gold and opaque watercolor on paper portrait dating to 1750, produced in India. Its authorship is attributed to an unknown painter, and it depicts a woman. The piece is classified as a portrait within the paintings genre and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, where it remains on display. No further record of earlier owners or commissioning details is available in the documented sources.
The work known as Untitled, created around 1750 by an anonymous artist in India, is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting, which depicts a woman and is executed in ink, gold, and opaque watercolor on paper, measures 32.7 cm in height and 27.3 cm in width. While the source material confirms its presence within the museum's holdings, it does not provide a specific accession or inventory number for the piece.
Furthermore, the available records do not list any specific exhibition history for this work, noting only its classification as a painting and its origin date.
Overview
This untitled painting, executed with ink, gold, and opaque watercolor on paper, depicts a solitary woman in a serene garden setting. Created in a Rajasthani court around 1750, the artwork captures a private moment, inviting contemplation. Its delicate execution and use of precious materials are characteristic of Indian miniature painting traditions from the period.
Artist & collection
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Untitled
Noblewoman at a Jharokha Window Holding a Rose, from a Portraits of Women series
The heroine who waits anxiously for her absent lover (Utka Nayika)
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Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
