Cleveland Museum of Art
Monkey
- Date
- possibly 1700s
- Medium
- wood
- Culture
- Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
- Department
- Japanese Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Watching monkeys perform was once a popular form of street entertainment in Japan. Monkeys were outfitted with costumes and learned to perform dances and tricks. Monkeys also serve as the messengers of certain kami , or deities, and pairs of clothed monkey sculptures in wood or stone may be found on either side of the entrance of some jinja , or shrines dedicated to kami . This monkey has a jacket and may have once held bells and a fan. Unfortunately, its original identity and purpose have been lost.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.
Monkeys Playing on a Stone Lantern
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Monkeys by a Stream
Cleveland Museum of Art
Monkey and Trainer
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Monkey performing Sanbaso dance
Art Institute of Chicago
Monkey performing Sanbaso dance
Art Institute of Chicago
Monkeys in a Cherry Tree; Monkeys on a Rock Ledge
Cleveland Museum of Art
Monkey Hanging from a Branch
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Monkeys
Cleveland Museum of Art
Dog barking at a monkey trainer
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Monkey Trainer, one of six sketches
Art Institute of Chicago
Monkeys
Cleveland Museum of Art
Monkey Hanging on to a Branch
Cleveland Museum of Art