Three Monkeys

Artists

Description

In this hanging scroll, executed in ink and color on paper, three monkeys – two adults and a baby – sit gathered together on the ground amid a small cluster of sparse grasses and vegetation. The baby sits in profile and looks upward at one of the adults, who is likewise looking upward to the left. Another adult monkey sits behind the first adult, facing front, with its proper right hand resting on his companion’s shoulder. A dated inscription and two red square intaglio seals appear at the lower right edge of the painting.

Dimensions

painting proper: H. 77.5 x W. 47.9 cm (30 1/2 x 18 7/8 in.) mounting, inlcuding suspension core and roller ends: H. 176.2 x W. 67.5 cm (69 3/8 x 26 9/16 in.)

Provenance

Louis V. Ledoux Collection, New York (by 1948), by descent; to his son L. Pierre Ledoux, New York (1948-2001), by inheritance; to his widow Joan F. Ledoux, New York, (2001-2013), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2013. Footnotes: 1. Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948) 2. L. Pierre Ledoux (1912-2001) 3. On long term loan to Harvard Art Museums from 1981 to 2013.