Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?

Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here two monkeys sit one behind the other on a base with rounded ends. The monkey in front is slightly larger and grasps an indistinct object with vertical striations, perhaps representing a harp to judge from other such figures. The monkey in the rear holds on to the shoulders of the first monkey. A round form between their upper bodies could represent a baby monkey. Roughly carved limestone figures of monkeys have been found in considerable numbers in the settlements of Amarna and Deir el Medina, so from the late 18th Dynasty through the 20th. Others have been attributed to New Kingdom Memphis. The monkeys may play instruments, eat grapes or drink beer, drive chariots, or care for baby monkeys; in one example from Amarna a large group of monkeys rides a boat.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?Monkey couple, the first playing a harp?

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.