Figure - monkey playing the harp

Unknown (Hellenistic)

Item type:

sculpture

Date of creation:

1st-2nd century BCE

Height:

9.3 cm  (3 11/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

terracotta; painted

Place of creation:

Egypt (former nation/state/empire)

School:

Ptolemaic

Description

Terracotta figure of a monkey playing the harp.
A monkey squatting on a cushioned footstool (forming the plinth), his head turned to his right, his tail curving under him, playing a triangular harp which rests on his knees. The harp has a divided knobbed top and is slightly injured. The animal may be wearing a hooded cloak, but this is uncertain. The back, which has considerable surface damage, shows a certain amount of modelling, including the rear of the harp and the monkey’s left arm and hand plucking the strings. What may be striations of drapery are indicated behind the head. There is a circular vent.
Hollow; two-piece mould. Micaceous orange-brown Nile silt with a buff surface in places, and some white grits. The front has traces of a white dressing, and yellow paint adorns the upright and top of the harp.

Iconclass

29A
animals acting as human beings

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Harp [3285]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

5338