Cleveland Museum of Art
The Monkey and the Cat
Abraham Hondius
- Date
- probably 1670s
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Culture
- Netherlands
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
This picture interprets one of Aesop’s ancient Greek fables (or probably the more contemporary interpretation by Jean de la Fontaine, even more famous at the time), which warns of the dangers of flattery. A monkey sweet-talks a cat into pulling scalding chestnuts out of the fire. The cat finishes the risky and painful task to discover that the monkey has already gobbled up nearly all of them.
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.
The Cat's Paw
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Cat and Mouse
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Le lion, le signe et les deaux ânes
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The wounded monkey bites the hand of the prince, his chessmate, in the presence of guests, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth Night
Cleveland Museum of Art
Cat and Monkey
Art Institute of Chicago
"Le chat" or The Cat at the Window
Getty Museum
The Donkey Laden with Food, from Emblematic Figures of Animals
Art Institute of Chicago
The wolf advises the lion to consult the cat, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
Cleveland Museum of Art
The monkey advises the suspicious lion to cast off fear and take possession of his territory, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth Night
Cleveland Museum of Art
Monkey Riding on a Turtle
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Monkey Preaching to Turkeys
Cleveland Museum of Art
A Hunter and Dogs Attacking a Treed Wild Cat
Getty Museum