Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a charcoal painting. It dates from 1816 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This charcoal drawing presents a solitary elephant occupying the entire sheet.
About this work
Artists there often drew animals for royal albums, but this one feels loose, more like a quick study than a finished work.
A single elephant fills the page, drawn in soft charcoal. Its trunk curls up, ears flare wide, and one eye looks straight at you.
This sketch was made in Kota, India, around 1800. Artists there often drew animals for royal albums, but this one feels loose, more like a quick study than a finished work. The paper is worn, as if it was carried in a pocket or passed between hands.
To see more animal sketches from the same place, look up elephants, india (rajasthan, kotah).
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts an elephant as its central subject, a motif with deep roots in the cultural traditions of Rajasthan, India, where the piece was produced. Elephants carry layered symbolic meaning in this regional context, traditionally associated with royalty, strength, wisdom, and religious significance, frequently appearing in courtly and ceremonial imagery. Rendered in charcoal on paper, the drawing captures the animal as a genre subject, suggesting an observational study of the creature in its everyday or working environment rather than as a formal portrait.
The wide, horizontal format of the composition allows the elephant to be presented within a broader setting, emphasizing its physical presence and the relationship between animal and surroundings.
Technique & Style
Created in 1816 in Rajasthan, India, this work is executed in charcoal on paper. The drawing depicts an elephant and measures 27.3 cm in height and 59.1 cm in width. Classified as a genre scene, the piece is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The medium and support consist of charcoal applied to a paper surface.
History & Provenance
The work titled Untitled is a charcoal drawing on paper created in 1816 in India, Rajasthan, depicting an elephant. It was produced by an anonymous painter and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, accessioned on January 1, 1816, with dimensions of 27.3 cm in height and 59.1 cm in width.
The artwork's provenance is limited to its current ownership by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which holds it within its Paintings genre collection under the genre_scene classification. Its creation history is defined by its medium, date, and geographic origin as recorded in archival documentation.
No commission or prior ownership records are available in the provided sources, which only confirm its present location and acquisition date.
The artwork Untitled is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Created in 1816 by an anonymous artist, the piece is executed in charcoal on paper and is classified within the museum's paintings collection. The work depicts an elephant and was made in Rajasthan, India.
No specific accession or inventory number is provided in the available records, nor is there any documented exhibition history for this piece listed in the sources.
The museum records indicate the work's physical dimensions are 27.3 cm in height and 59.1 cm in width.
Overview
This charcoal drawing presents a solitary elephant occupying the entire sheet. Rendered in soft strokes, the animal’s trunk arches upward, its ears spread wide, and a direct gaze meets the viewer. The work dates to the early nineteenth century and originates from the region of Kota in India.
Context
During the early nineteenth century, artists in Rajasthan, particularly in Kota, were commissioned to document exotic fauna for aristocratic patrons. Such sketches served both decorative and documentary purposes, reflecting the court’s interest in natural history and the prestige of owning representations of majestic animals like the elephant.
Artist & collection
- Untitled
Untitled
Drawing of an Elephant
Untitled
Untitled
A Raja on an Elephant
Drawing of an Elephant
Grouped figures and animals
Indian figures, cattle, vultures and minarets
Three Scenes from the Passion of Christ (recto); Architectural Sketch (verso)
A goat, and the governor's gateway, Macau
Figures and animals
