Monkey Preaching to Turkeys
1774
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Christophe Huet
Christophe Huet (1700–1759) was a French artist, born in Pontoise.
See the richer artist page1774
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Monkey Preaching to Turkeys is a 1774 by Christophe Huet, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A monkey in a monk’s robe stands in a wicker basket, preaching to a flock of turkeys. The turkeys gather below, heads tilted up like they’re listening. The monkey holds a scroll, looking serious. This kind of painting is called *singerie*—a French word for scenes where monkeys mock human behavior. The turkeys, often seen as foolish, don’t realize they’re being tricked. It’s a joke about people who blindly follow leaders. If you like this, check out other works in the *subject: france* that play with animals and satire.
This work belongs to a genre of imagery called singerie , which depicts monkeys dressed in human clothes parodying the actions of people. Here, a monkey preaches to a flock of turkeys from a wicker basket pulpit hanging from a tree. The turkeys, interpreted as symbols of foolishness, are deceived by the cunning primate in the disguise of a monk’s habit.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Christophe Huet (1700–1759) was a French artist, born in Pontoise.
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