Monkey Preaching to Turkeys
Christophe Huet (French, 1700–1759)
1750–1800
Medium
Gouache
Dimensions
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Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Muriel Butkin
Accession Number
2017.215
Tags
male
About this artwork
This work belongs to a genre of imagery called singerie, which depicts monkeys dressed in human clothes parodying the actions of people. Here, a monkey preaches to a flock of turkeys from a wicker basket pulpit hanging from a tree. The turkeys, interpreted as symbols of foolishness, are deceived by the cunning primate in the disguise of a monk’s habit.