A Messenger is Dispatched: Page from a Dispersed Manuscript

Colors in this work

Artist: Unknown artist
Date: last quarter of the 17th century
Medium: Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 8 7/8 x 12 in. (22.6 x 30.5 cm)
Origin: India (Punjab Hills, Bilaspur)
Department: Asian Art
Holding institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Palette: Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #B79177 · 25%

Lead Type · Gray family · #6A807C · 20%

Oxidized Bronze · Green family · #6E7C6B · 11%

Amber Varnish · Orange family · #C3772F · 9%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #C5B6A4 · 6%

Aged Bronze Brown · Brown family · #72563B · 5%

Golden Bole · Yellow family · #BE944B · 4%

Etching Plate Gray · Gray family · #3C4537 · 4%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #906E50 · 4%

Plaster Cast · Gray family · #D5CFC1 · 4%

Stormwash · Blue family · #4F6675 · 3%

Zinc Ground · Gray family · #ADA995 · 3%

Dusty Ballet Silk · Pink family · #AF898B · 2%

Zinc Ground · Gray family · #A2988F · <1%

Museum Mount · Gray family · #ABB0BE · <1%

Ottoman Tile · Teal family · #417679 · <1%

Etching Plate Gray · Gray family · #32363A · <1%

Museum Mount · Gray family · #B2C3C3 · <1%

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Image provider: metropolitan-museum-of-art
License: CC0-1.0
Credit: Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 1987

12 tags

Human Figure Both · 99%

The composition visibly centers on multiple human figures, and the catalog identifies Men as a subject.
Flora Both · 98%

The image prominently depicts flowering plants and cultivated garden beds, while the catalog lists Gardens as a subject.
Implied Narrative Both · 96%

The title identifies a dispatched messenger, and the figures' directed gestures and interaction present a staged episode with implied action.

Bright and Vivid Colors Visual · 95%

The page uses saturated orange, yellow, red, blue, pink, and green passages that contrast strongly across the figures, architecture, and garden.
Patterns Visual · 94%

Patterned garments, repeated floral motifs, architectural ornament, and decorative borders create a visibly patterned surface.

Album, Folio and Fan Formats Metadata · 99%

The catalog classifies the object as a folio and identifies it as a page from a dispersed manuscript.
Manuscript Metadata · 99%

The title explicitly identifies the work as a page from a dispersed manuscript.
Work on Paper Metadata · 99%

The catalog specifies ink and opaque watercolor on paper; the image visibly consists of painted and drawn marks on a paper folio.
Painting Metadata · 99%

The catalog classifies the work as a painting and specifies opaque watercolor as part of the medium.
Watercolor Metadata · 98%

The catalog identifies opaque watercolor as the painting medium.

17th Century Art Metadata · 99%

The catalog dates the work to the last quarter of the seventeenth century.

Indian Art Metadata · 99%

The catalog gives the place of origin as India, specifically the Punjab Hills and Bilaspur.

Unknown artist. A Messenger is Dispatched: Page from a Dispersed Manuscript. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.