Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1687 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work shows a solitary man positioned within a garden setting, a composition classified as a portrait and attributed to an anonymous Indian painter working in 1687. The depiction of the figure amid cultivated plant life suggests a focus on the individual within a natural environment, though specific symbolic interpretations are not recorded. The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, reflecting its provenance from India and its execution in ink with opaque watercolor on paper.
Technique & Style
The medium combines fluid ink lines with the solid coverage of opaque watercolor, a technique characteristic of the period and region.
Created in 1687 in India, this anonymous work is executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper. The piece measures 22.6 cm in height and 30.5 cm in width, presenting a portrait genre composition that depicts a man within a garden setting. The medium combines fluid ink lines with the solid coverage of opaque watercolor, a technique characteristic of the period and region.
The support of paper accommodates these materials, allowing for the detailed rendering of the garden and the figure. The work is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The work is dated to 1687 and was produced in India, executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper. It is classified as a portrait depicting a man within a garden setting and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a work by an anonymous painter. The available sources do not record a specific commissioner, prior ownership chain, accession number, or exhibition history.
Overview
This untitled painting, executed with ink and opaque watercolor on paper, depicts a tranquil garden scene. Originating from the Punjab Hills in northern India, the work captures a quiet interaction between two figures. The artist, whose identity remains unrecorded, employed delicate washes to create a luminous atmosphere, characteristic of regional painting traditions.
Artist & collection
- Mangala Raga
The handmaiden appeals for justice and the prince is taken to the execution site for the fourth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
Three Musicians Perform Before a King: Shri Raga, from a Ragamala
The goldsmith and the carpenter inform the king of a dream in which the golden images plan to desert the city for lack of worshippers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night
The prince’s ordeal continues, he is ordered away to be executed for the fifth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
Three Musicians Perform Before a King: Shri Raga, from a Ragamala
Illustrations to Life of Dhurva Maharaj: #1 Durbar of King Uttan Pad
The vizier dissuades the king of Bahilistan from executing the dervish who asks for his daughter’s hand in marriage, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventh Night
The merchant returns bringing a young slave who is really the son of the princess of Rum, now married to the king, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fiftieth Night
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
The handmaiden appeals for justice and the prince is taken to the execution site for the fourth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The prince’s ordeal continues, he is ordered away to be executed for the fifth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
