Not currently on view
In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
This picture interprets one of Aesop’s ancient Greek fables (or probably the more contemporary interpretation by Jean de la Fontaine, even more famous at the time), which warns of the dangers of flattery. A monkey sweet-talks a cat into pulling scalding chestnuts out of the fire. The cat finishes the risky and painful task to discover that the monkey has already gobbled up nearly all of them.
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Giuseppe Recco — A Cat Stealing Fish
Melchior d' Hondecoeter — A Hunter's Bag, with Dead Hare
Carle Vernet (French, 1758–1836) — Fighting Animals
Abraham Blooteling (Dutch, 1640–1690) — Various Lions
Jan Weenix — A Monkey and a Dog with Dead Game and Fruit
Giuseppe Baldrighi (Italian, 1723–1803) — Lion
Jean-Baptiste Oudry — Dog Guarding Dead Game
Paulus Potter — Bear Hunt
Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish
Jean-Baptiste Oudry (French, 1686–1755) — Wild Sow and Her Y
James Ward — Lions Attacking Two Men and a Horse
George Stubbs (British, 1724–1806) — A Horse Attacked by a L
