A Picture Gallery with an Artist Painting a Woman and a Girl. Allegory of the Art of Painting
Gillis van Tilborgh
1660-1669
The small monkey in the foreground is an allegory of the art of painting. In the Christian Medieval era monkeys symbolised foolishness, sin, and thoughtless "aping." Over the course of the 15th century imi tation came to be regarded in a more positive light, and images of monkey painters began to denote the skilful representation of nature. In the 17th century the rich and noble collected exotic animals. Monkeys from every corner of the world were well known to artists, and the one featured in the painting could have hailed from Africa, Asia, or America. What we see is an imaginary space. The walls are hung with paintings typical of Dutch and Flemish art in the 17th century.
SMK – National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen · Image: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark, Public domain · Text: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark (text: Rasmus Kjærboe) (adapted), CC0