The Thieving Monkey

Although born in Hungary, Jakob Bogdani was active in England and the Netherlands. He started his career by working for a still life artist in Amsterdam and went on to specialize in painting exotic birds and animals. Well known during his lifetime, Queen Mary II (1662–1694) and King William III (1650–1702) of England were among his major patrons. Another British patron, Admiral George Churchill, was the brother of the Duke of Marlborough, whose famous aviary at Windsor Park may have provided the inspiration for many of the birds found in Bogdani’s works.