Figure, monkey
Medium:Ceramic (earthenware)
Geography: Undetermined site, Egypt
Date: c. 4000-3000 BC
Period: Predynastic Period
Dimensions:8.7 × 3 × 2.7 cm
Object number: 900.2.160
Gallery Location:Galleries of Africa: Egypt
Description
This little monkey is probably a toy, or possibly an amulet. Ancient Egyptians were fond of animals and
enjoyed watching them. Models of monkeys
going about their monkey business were made from earliest times to the end of
Pharaonic civilization. What is this
monkey doing? It has been suggested that
the little one is carrying off a large fruit, though no one seems able to
suggest what kind of fruit, available in Egypt, it might be. Another suggestion is that the monkey is
playing a musical instrument, perhaps a crudely fashioned harp. Unfortunately, the figure has no provenance
to inform us.
