Study of Birds and Monkeys

1660/1670

Two monkeys and five birds are painted in meticulous detail against a mostly pearl-white background on this horizontal composition. A spindly tree trunk grows up each side of the painting, and a few tufts of grass are tucked near the trees and at the bottom center of the composition. A red-furred monkey crouches holding a piece of fruit at the center of the painting, and a second piece of fruit lies nearby. Another, lemur-like monkey clings to a tree growing up the right edge, peering at us. A teal-blue parrot perches on a branch above that second monkey, and a hefty, yellow and green bird perches on another branch over the first. Two long-legged, long-necked birds stand to either side of the seated red monkey, with a dove-gray bird to the left and a tawny brown one with pale green legs to the right. A smaller blue, white, and orange bird stands on the ground near the seated monkey and another, this one blue and red, flies above.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on copper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of John Dimick

  • Dimensions

    overall: 10.5 x 17.2 cm (4 1/8 x 6 3/4 in.)

  • Accession

    1983.19.2


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Private collection, Germany; (sale, Galerie Fischer, Lucerne, 21-25 and 27-29 November 1972, no. 2536, as a pair with NGA 1983.19.2); John Dimick, Chevy Chase, Maryland; gift 1983 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1995

  • Dutch Cabinet Galleries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1995-1996, no cat.

1998

  • A Collector's Cabinet, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1998, no. 33.

Bibliography

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 214, repro.

2005

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Flemish Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 2005: 129-133, color repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20177558


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