Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1449 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Executed in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, the piece functions as a visual representation of Jain religious themes and iconography.
Created in 1449 in India, this anonymous work belongs to the genre of religious art and specifically depicts the Jainism tradition. Executed in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, the piece functions as a visual representation of Jain religious themes and iconography. As a devotional object from the 15th century, the artwork serves to illustrate core tenets or narratives associated with Jainism, utilizing the medium of gold and pigment to convey spiritual significance.
Technique & Style
Created in 1449 in India, this anonymous religious work employs ink, opaque watercolor, and gold applied directly onto a paper support. The piece is classified as a painting within the Jain genre, showcasing traditional South Asian manuscript illumination techniques. Its formal dimensions measure 11.1 cm in height and 27 cm in width, consistent with portable devotional formats of the period.
The integration of gold with opaque pigments suggests a deliberate emphasis on luminosity and sacred value, typical of Jain artistic production.
History & Provenance
The work is a Jain religious painting executed in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper in India in 1449, by an anonymous painter. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view and is catalogued under accession number 55.121.38.44.
Overview
This untitled painting, rendered with ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, originates from a Jain manuscript produced in Gujarat, India. It depicts a woman in a red sari seated beneath a tree, engrossed in a book, with a peacock nearby. As a page intended for a sacred text, its design facilitated handling rather than display on a wall.
Context
This painting forms a page from a Jain manuscript, originating from Gujarat, India. Unlike artworks intended for wall display, this piece was designed to be held and consulted as part of a larger sacred text. Its creation reflects the rich tradition of illustrated manuscripts within Jainism, a religion with a long history of commissioning such devotional works.
Artist & collection
