Monkeys Making Music c. 18th century

Curator: Here we have "Monkeys Making Music," a sketch attributed to the Manner of Claude Gillot, at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a delicate work on paper, measuring about 30 by 21 centimeters. Editor: My first thought is of a dream, or perhaps a feverish hallucination. The monkeys, rendered in such loose lines, create a strangely unsettling atmosphere. Curator: Well, the imagery of monkeys often carries connotations of mimicry, foolishness, and even subversion. Consider the material realities of the time; were these images intended as satire aimed at the aristocracy? Editor: I think it runs deeper. The instruments themselves symbolize harmony and order, but the monkeys introduce chaos. Is this about the fragility of societal structures? Curator: Or perhaps the role of artistic production in questioning those structures, by literally monkeying around with established forms? Editor: I hadn’t thought of that. The playful symbolism certainly allows for multiple interpretations. Curator: It’s fascinating how one reading of the drawing’s materials shifts the whole meaning. Editor: Indeed. It seems there’s more than music being composed here.