Two Chained Monkeys

This unusual picture from 1562 shows two monkeys sitting in an arched window, chained to an iron ring.

The monkeys are African collared mangabeys. Whether Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/30–1569) intended this picture merely as an animal study, however, is highly doubtful.

Rather, the monkeys symbolise humans who are chained to their basest animal instincts.

The view through the window on the city and ports of Antwerp lends a greater poignancy to the animals’ captivity.

Birds fly freely through the sky…

… ships evoke journeys to foreign lands.

And what do we gain in exchange for our freedom? That which we reap is of questionable value, as represented by the nutshells next to the animals.

The chains symbolise a hopeless situation.

But upon closer look, we see that there may be an escape after all: the chains end in a toggle which has been put through the ring.

If you pulled the toggle back a little and turned it, you could push it back through the ring – and the monkeys would be free.

But the monkeys are not able to understand this; they cannot make meaningful use of their gifts. And it’s no different with humans, too, who remain captive to their lack of insight.

Bruegel’s message: Only when humans reflect upon their own condition can they set out on the right path. Those who live with intelligence and humility will be able to shake off the shackles imposed on ourselves.

This ethical, rationalistic attitude underlies many of Bruegel’s allegories. It expresses the moral philosophy of an artist who was referred to – all too superficially – as “Peasant Bruegel” by later generations.