Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Yokoya Sōmin. It dates from 1716 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 36.100.73
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The minimal title and restrained composition focus attention on the animal's form and presence, emphasizing its mythic rather than naturalistic character.
The painting depicts a lion, a subject drawn from East Asian visual traditions rather than direct observation, since lions were not indigenous to Japan. Rendered in ink on paper as a hanging scroll, the work aligns with the genre of mythology painting and reflects the symbolic associations of the lion in Japanese art, including protection and power. The minimal title and restrained composition focus attention on the animal's form and presence, emphasizing its mythic rather than naturalistic character.
Within the cultural context of early eighteenth-century Japan, the lion image carried layered meanings, often linked to imported Buddhist and Chinese motifs that signified guardianship and auspiciousness.
Technique & Style
Created in 1716, this work by Yokoya Sōmin is executed as a hanging scroll utilizing ink on paper. The piece falls within the genre of mythology and depicts a lion, reflecting the artist's engagement with traditional Japanese narrative subjects. As a painting from the Edo period, the handling of ink on the paper support demonstrates the stylistic conventions of the time, focusing on the representation of a mythological beast.
The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Its physical form as a hanging scroll indicates it was designed for vertical display, a standard format for such ink paintings in Japan.
History & Provenance
Created in 1716 by the Japanese artist Yokoya Sōmin, this hanging scroll executed in ink on paper depicts a lion. The work was produced in Japan during the early eighteenth century. It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified as a painting within the mythology genre.
Overview
Created in 1716 by the Japanese painter Yokoya Sōmin, this hanging scroll rendered in ink on paper presents a solitary lion perched upon a rock. Though the work bears no formal title, it is classified as a mythological scene and exemplifies the artist’s engagement with exotic subjects that were popular in Edo‑period visual culture.
Artist & collection
