Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a distemper painting. It dates from 1349 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject matter is explicitly identified as Vishnu, anchoring the piece's meaning in Hindu theology and worship practices of the period.
Created in Nepal in 1349, this distemper-on-wood panel depicts the Hindu deity Vishnu. Classified as a religious work, the painting's iconography centers entirely on this divine figure, serving as a visual representation of the god within a devotional context. As an anonymous creation, the artwork functions as a specific manifestation of Vishnu intended for spiritual contemplation or ritual use, consistent with fourteenth-century Nepalese religious traditions.
The subject matter is explicitly identified as Vishnu, anchoring the piece's meaning in Hindu theology and worship practices of the period.
Technique & Style
Executed in distemper on wood, this small-format painting employs a traditional medium associated with devotional panels from the Kathmandu Valley. The work's modest dimensions, approximately 4.7 by 33.2 centimeters, indicate an intimate horizontal support, likely suited to private worship or manuscript-adjacent display. Its classification within the Metropolitan Museum of Met's painting collection and its Nepalese origin situate it within a regional tradition in which pigment-bound tempera techniques on prepared wooden supports were standard for religious imagery.
The narrow, elongated format suggests a finely worked surface, consistent with the careful handling required for figural depiction of Vishnu.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1349, as indicated by its inception date in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s records, which align with the anonymous artist’s execution during the 14th century in Nepal. The work entered the museum’s collection as part of its holdings of Nepalese paintings, where it has been housed since acquisition. Its medium, distemper on wood, aligns with the traditional techniques of the period and region.
The subject, Vishnu, situates the piece within the broader corpus of Nepalese religious art of the 14th century.
The 1349 distemper-on-wood painting titled Untitled is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created in Nepal, the work depicts the deity Vishnu and measures 4.7 by 33.2 units. While the piece is attributed to an anonymous artist and classified within the museum's paintings department, the available records do not specify a unique accession or inventory number.
Furthermore, no specific exhibition history or loan records for this object are provided in the current documentation, which primarily confirms its institutional location and physical attributes.
Overview
This untitled painting, executed in distemper on wood, originates from Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Created approximately 700 years ago, likely in the 14th century, it depicts a multi-armed deity standing upon a lotus. Such works were integral to religious practices, intended to be viewed within the ambient light of temple rituals.
Artist & collection
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Samantabhadra spinning clouds of things, folio 22 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array)
Four bodhisattvas and two attendants flanking Vajrasattva, bottom cover, from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Back Cover
Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
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Folio 22 from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array): Samantabhadra spinning clouds of things (recto); Text (verso)- Untitled