Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created around 1700 in India, this anonymous painting depicts a solitary male figure standing beside a tree while holding a bow and arrow.
Created around 1700 in India, this anonymous painting depicts a solitary male figure standing beside a tree while holding a bow and arrow. Executed in ink, opaque watercolor, and silver on paper, the work presents a straightforward portrait composition. The inclusion of the bow and arrow alongside the natural setting of the tree suggests the subject may represent a hunter, a warrior, or a figure associated with martial prowess.
While the specific identity of the man remains unknown due to the work's anonymous origin, the iconography emphasizes the relationship between the individual and his weaponry within a natural environment. The use of silver in the medium adds a distinct luminous quality to the surface, distinguishing the figure against the painted backdrop.
Technique & Style
The work is a painting on paper executed with ink, opaque watercolor, and silver pigment, a combination that yields fine linear detail and subtle metallic highlights. Its support is paper, and the composition portrays a man holding a bow and arrow beside a tree, classifying it as a portrait. The piece measures 17.8 cm in height by 30.8 cm in width and was created in India around 1700.
Formal qualities include precise line work, a limited palette of dark ink, translucent washes, and silver accents that produce a delicate tonal contrast, characteristic of early 18th‑century Indian miniature practice.
History & Provenance
Created in India around 1700, this ink, opaque watercolor, and silver work on paper is attributed to an anonymous artist. The piece, which depicts a man with a bow and arrow near a tree, currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the specific circumstances of its commission and the detailed chain of ownership prior to its museum acquisition are not recorded in the available documentation, its inception is firmly dated to the turn of the eighteenth century. The work is classified as a portrait and remains held by the institution in New York.
The work titled Untitled is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is catalogued as part of the museum's holdings, though no specific inventory or accession number is provided in the documentation. The painting, attributed to an anonymous Indian artist, dates to 1700 and measures 17.8 × 30.8 cm. It depicts a bow and arrow, a man, and a tree.
Exhibition records are not listed in the available sources, indicating that the work has not been publicly exhibited in the documented period.
Overview
This untitled painting, executed with ink, opaque watercolor, and silver on paper, hails from the Punjab Hills region of northern India. It represents a tradition of small-scale works, intended for personal contemplation rather than public display. The identity of the artist who created this piece remains unrecorded.
Artist & collection
- Brahma Hides the Cowherds and the Calves in the Cave, page from a Bhagavata Purana
Untitled
King Muchukunda Enters the Realm of Mount Gandhamadana to Attain Salvation, from the “Fifth Basohli Bhagavata Purana”
King Muchukunda Enters the Realm of Mount Gandhamadana to Attain Salvation, from the “Fifth Basohli Bhagavata Purana”
Cupid Disturbs Krishna's Penance, Page from a Gita Govinda
Sita asks Rama to fetch the golden deer, from the “Shangri” Ramayana
Descent of the Ganges
Untitled
Untitled
Krishna and Radha
Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana visit the hermitage of the sage Bharadvaja at Prayaga, from Chapter 48 of the Ayodhya Kanda (Book of Ayodhya) of a Ramayana (Rama’s Journey)
Worship of Hindu Deities (1 of 18)
