Small Vase in the Form of a Monkey

Paduan 16th Century

National Gallery of Art

The sculpture depicts a figure of a seated baboon with a unique feature on its head that resembles a crescent or horn-like shape. The baboon has one hand raised to its mouth and is sitting up with its knees bent. The sculpture is primarily dark in color, with a surface showing variations of deep green, brown, and black hues. It is mounted on a simple, solid black rectangular base. The sculpture is relatively small compared to human scale.