Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History


    • Beaker ("Monkey Cup"), ca. 1425–1450
    South Netherlandish; Made in Burgundian Territories
    Silver, silver–gilt, painted enamel; H. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm), Diam. 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm)
    The Cloisters Collection, 1952 (52.50)

    One of the finest surviving examples of medieval enamel created for a princely table, this beaker was probably made for the Burgundian court. It illustrates a popular legend that remarks on the folly of man. A peddler is robbed by a band of apes as he sleeps. The peddler, seen just above the base, fails to stir even as the apes strip away his clothes. Other apes, having taken his goods, cavort in the branches overhead. The beaker, which originally had a cover, is decorated with "painted" enamel, so called because the material was applied freely over the silver, without the grooves that separate the colors in champlevé enameling or the incised patterns that provide guidelines for the application of translucent enamels. The unusual and adept grisaille (shades of gray) enamel technique is found on several other surviving objects, all of which have been associated with the courts of the dukes of Burgundy.

    Related


    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Young, Bonnie "The Monkeys & the Peddler." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 26, no. 10 (June, 1968).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Schrader, J. L. "A Medieval Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 44, no. 1 (Summer, 1986).
    JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
    • "Director" PDF
    • "Introduction" PDF
  • Boorsch, Suzanne "Fireworks!: Four Centuries of Pyrotechnics in Prints & Drawings." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 58, no. 1 (Summer, 2000).
    JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
    • "Director" PDF
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    On view at The Cloisers: Gallery 014
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    • Beaker ("Monkey Cup"), ca. 1425–1450
    South Netherlandish; Made in Burgundian Territories
    Silver, silver-gilt, painted enamel; H. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm), Diam. 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm)
    The Cloisters Collection, 1952 (52.50)

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