Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?
Here two monkeys sit one behind the other on a base with rounded ends. The monkey in front is slightly larger and grasps an indistinct object with vertical striations, perhaps representing a harp to judge from other such figures. The monkey in the rear holds on to the shoulders of the first monkey. A round form between their upper bodies could represent a baby monkey.
Roughly carved limestone figures of monkeys have been found in considerable numbers in the settlements of Amarna and Deir el Medina, so from the late 18th Dynasty through the 20th. Others have been attributed to New Kingdom Memphis. The monkeys may play instruments, eat grapes or drink beer, drive chariots, or care for baby monkeys; in one example from Amarna a large group of monkeys rides a boat.
Roughly carved limestone figures of monkeys have been found in considerable numbers in the settlements of Amarna and Deir el Medina, so from the late 18th Dynasty through the 20th. Others have been attributed to New Kingdom Memphis. The monkeys may play instruments, eat grapes or drink beer, drive chariots, or care for baby monkeys; in one example from Amarna a large group of monkeys rides a boat.
Artwork Details
- Title: Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?
- Period: New Kingdom
- Dynasty: late 18th through 20th
- Date: ca. 1350–1070 BC
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Limestone
- Dimensions: H. 5.6 × W. 5 × D. 2.3 cm (2 3/16 × 1 15/16 × 7/8 in.)
- Credit Line: Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
- Object Number: 10.130.2607
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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