Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat
1662
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1662
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting shows a fox in clothes pretending to be a cat saint. The fox holds a book and wears a halo, while real cats watch below. It looks like a silly joke about false piety. The scene comes from a medieval trickster tale where Reynard the Fox fools others. Cats stand for honesty here. Van Everdingen paints the fox in soft browns with sharp cat eyes staring up. Check out another Dutch animal scene at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
