Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1680 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
The artist used opaque watercolor, layering colors like stained glass to make the fabric glow.
You see a woman in a red sari holding a small mirror, her face half-hidden behind it. A second mirror on the wall reflects her back, so you get two views at once.
This painting comes from Rajasthan, India, around 1680. Back then, mirrors weren’t just for looking, they were symbols of truth and self-knowledge. The artist used opaque watercolor, layering colors like stained glass to make the fabric glow.
If you like how light plays in this scene, look up glazing.
Subject & Meaning
The painting, dated to 1680 and executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, portrays a solitary woman accompanied by a mirror. As a work classified as a portrait from late-17th-century India, it belongs to the genre of figurative representation in which the subject is rendered with attention to individual presence. The inclusion of the mirror constitutes a distinct visual element within the composition, recorded in the object's description.
The piece is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, where it is catalogued under its original title 'Untitled'.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, measuring approximately 22.2 cm by 16.2 cm and created in India around 1680. It depicts an unidentified woman holding a mirror, employing fine ink lines alongside translucent watercolor washes to define form. The work is classified as a portrait and resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As an anonymous piece, its formal qualities highlight the reflective surface of the mirror and the sitter's pose through delicate linear and tonal treatment.
History & Provenance
The artwork titled Untitled was created in 1680 by an anonymous artist in India. Executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, the piece measures 22.2 cm in height and 16.2 cm in width. While the specific commissioning patron and the immediate chain of ownership prior to its arrival at its current institution remain undocumented in the available records, the work is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The painting depicts a woman and a mirror, characteristics consistent with its classification as a portrait from the late seventeenth century. No further details regarding its provenance beyond its origin date and location are provided in the source material.
Overview
This untitled painting from Rajasthan, India, dating to approximately 1680, depicts a woman in a red sari. Executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, the composition features her holding a small mirror that partially obscures her face. A second mirror positioned on the wall behind her offers a reflected view of her back, presenting two distinct perspectives of the subject within a single frame.
Artist & collection
