| Method | Etching |
| Artist | Dirk Stoop |
| Published | [London, John Ogilby, c.1665] |
| Dimensions | Image and Sheet 220 x 165 mm |
| Notes |
From John Ogilby's "The Fables of Aesop Paraphras'd in Verse". Depiction of "Fab. LV. Of an Ægyptian King and his Apes" which tells of a king who has monkeys trained to dance, dressed up with masks and fine clothes to perform for the court. During their performance, one courtier throws nuts on the floor and the monkeys revert to their natural animal ways, fighting each other for the treats. The fable ends with the king saying: "Rich Cloths, nor Cost, nor Education can Change Nature, nor transform an Ape into a Man" and the moral of the story: "Nature in th' Old World's Infancy was Strong: But Education, Diet, Art, so long 'Mongst Mortals hath prevail'd, that Apes and Owls Not only Shapes transform, but Change their Souls". Dirk Stoop (c. 1610-1668) was a painter and printmaker, active in Utrecht. He travelled to Rome, Lisabon, London and Hamburg and worked for Catherine of Braganza, who married King Charles II. He often signed as "DS" or as Roderigo Stoop with "R Stoop". Condition: Trimmed to image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £100.00 |
| Stock ID | 46161 |