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A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey

Unknown

1708

watercolor

paper

From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago

Baroque Mughal Painting 18th Century Portrait Monkey

Dominant colour

A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey is a 1708 watercolor by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Monkey, held at Art Institute of Chicago.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1708 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

You see a big monkey sitting on a rock, holding a stick. He has a beard, pale eyes, and long fingers like a person. His fur is painted in soft browns with tiny gold details. Most Indian paintings of monkeys show the god Hanuman. This one is different—it’s just a monkey named Husaini, owned by a nobleman. The artist made him look almost human, which feels strange and a little funny. To see how other artists painted animals with personality, look up glazing at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The story of this work

Overview

Except for depictions of the monkey-god Hanuman, monkeys are rarely the subject of portraits in India. In this monumental portrait, therefore, we are looking not only at an unusual subject matter but also at a study of an extraordinary simian: one with human features complete with a beard, pale eyes, and long, slender hands. The inscription on the back of this work, written in Devanagari, states that the monkey is named Husaini and “comes from” Nawab Davad (or Daud) Khan. This name most likely refers to Daud Khan Panni, a powerful nobleman and a faujdar (a military commander and territorial…

Read the full account in the museum source.