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An Ape in Purple with a Sick Man, a Good Man, and a Miser [fol. 36 verso]

French early 16th Century

1514

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

An Ape in Purple with a Sick Man, a Good Man, and a Miser [fol. 36 verso] is a 1514 ink by French early 16th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: French early 16th Century
When & what style?: 1514 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a strange scene with four figures. A naked woman lounges on a couch, holding a bird. A monkey in a red robe stands to the left, clutching an apple. Next to it, a man in a long coat holds a branch with fruit. Behind them, a bearded figure in a hood looks on. The words at the bottom read like a riddle. The monkey’s bright red robe stands out against the muted colors. The scene feels like a puzzle—each figure seems to stand for something bigger, not just themselves. Want to see more like this? Check out the National Gallery of Art, Washington.