Artwork
Monkeys in the school
Monkeys in the school is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist David Teniers the Younger. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts these animals interacting with specific objects associated with learning and timekeeping, including books, pens, inkwells, and a clock.
David Teniers the Younger's 1660 oil painting presents a genre scene centered on monkeys engaged in scholarly activities. The composition depicts these animals interacting with specific objects associated with learning and timekeeping, including books, pens, inkwells, and a clock.
In the tradition of Flemish genre art, such imagery often functions as a satirical allegory. By attributing human intellectual pursuits to animals, the work likely critiques the pretensions of false scholars or mocks the superficial adoption of learned behavior, suggesting that the subjects possess the tools of education without true understanding.
Technique & Style
Monkeys in the school is an oil painting created in 1660 by David Teniers the Younger. The work belongs to the genre of scene painting and is executed in oil on an unstated support, typical of Teniers’s 17th‑century easel practice. Its composition centers on a monkey holding a book beside an inkwell, a pen and a clock, elements that identify it as a genre scene.
The painting was later owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain and is now part of the collection at the Museo del Prado in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
History & Provenance
David Teniers the Younger created the oil painting Monkeys in the school in 1660. The work is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it is located at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. Historical records indicate that the painting was once owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain.
The piece depicts a genre scene featuring monkeys interacting with school supplies such as books, pens, inkwells, and a clock.
The painting Monkeys in the School is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. Historical records indicate the work was once owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain. The piece has been associated with the Royal Palace of Aranjuez as a specific location within the museum's holdings.
No specific inventory numbers or detailed exhibition history for this work are provided in the available sources.
Overview
Painted in 1660, Monkeys in the School is a genre scene by the Flemish Baroque master David Teniers the Younger. The work depicts an interior classroom populated entirely by anthropomorphic monkeys engaged in satirical educational activities. The composition features figures seated at desks holding books and quills, mimicking human scholars, while others stand or crouch on the floor.
A focal point in the foreground shows one monkey bending over another dressed in a red robe, suggesting a dynamic of instruction or correction. Teniers frequently employed monkeys in his oeuvre to critique human folly, vanity, and the pretensions of the learned classes, a tradition rooted in earlier Netherlandish art. This specific painting exemplifies his mature style, characterized by precise observation, lively narrative detail, and a sophisticated use of light to define the crowded space.
Created during the later phase of his career, the work reflects his continued popularity among collectors for witty, moralizing genre paintings that blend humor with social commentary. The piece stands as a representative example of his satirical approach to genre painting, utilizing animal allegory to reflect on human behavior without direct religious or historical subject matter.
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Artist & collection
Artist
David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, and artist.
