Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by the Baroque artist Nishimura Shigenaga. It dates from 1722 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1722 by the Edo‑period printmaker Nishimura Shigenaga, this woodblock work belongs to the urushi‑e tradition, employing ink and color on paper. The piece is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and depicts a lively, narrative genre scene rendered in bold reds, blacks and yellows.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a man astride a massive, horned beast while a dragon‑like creature hovers above, breathing fire into a pot the rider holds. Rain lashes the background and skeletal trees loom, suggesting a chaotic, perhaps mythic confrontation. The rider’s expression—tense and resolute—adds a dramatic human element to the fantastical tableau.
Technique & Style
Shigenaga employs swift, expressive brushwork characteristic of urushi‑e, with strong ink lines that define motion. Cross‑hatching creates texture in the rain and fire, while the vivid pigments emphasize the scene’s energy. The contrast of thick black outlines against bright reds and yellows heightens the sense of turbulence and movement.
History & Provenance
The print has remained in private and institutional hands since its early eighteenth‑century production, eventually entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. Its attribution to Shigenaga is based on stylistic analysis and period documentation linking the artist to similar genre prints of the era.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nishimura Shigenaga spent his life in Edo, a city now called Tokyo, where he carved and printed pictures for a living.
