Monkey trainer and monkey performing a dance
late 17th century
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1903.61
Tags
About this artwork
Ukiyo-e
Art Historical Context
This delightful painting, *Monkey Trainer and Monkey Performing a Dance*, the whimsical street life of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868) in the of Iwasa Matabei1578–1650), a pioneering figure in early ukiyo art. Though created in the late 17th centuryafter Matabei's lifetime—it echoes his lively genre scenes, blending humor and everyday observation. Ukiyo-e, meaning "pictures of the floating," celebrated fleeting pleasures like theater, festivals, and urban spectacles, often through vibrant woodblock prints or paintings like this one. The scene likely depicts a trainer—possibly with a child or wom...