The Ape Tied in a Courtyard
Jean de Gourmont
1520/30
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet, trimmed within platemark: 8.5 × 8.4 cm (3 3/8 × 3 5/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
4433
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Exotic animals made popular pets in the early modern era (from the late 15th to 18th centuries), as seen in the extravagant courtyard depicted in this roundel. The ape’s owner cannot be far off, as it is attached to the wall; the lone pear the animal attempts to reach with its foot has been left cruelly just out of reach.