A Monkey gazing into a Mirror - 'art is the ape of nature'
William Kent (Bridlington 1685 - London 1748)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1736
Materials
Stone
Collection
Stowe, Buckinghamshire
NT 91821
Summary
Stone sculpture, A Monkey gazing into a Mirror - 'art is the ape of nature' by William Kent (Bridlington 1685 – London 1748), 1736. Statue of a monkey gazing into a mirror atop Congreve's Monument, the personification of the phrase 'art is the ape of nature'. Monument designed by William Kent in 1736 and commissioned by Lord Cobham in honour of the dramatist William Congreve (1690-1729), a fellow member of the Kit-Cat club.
Makers and roles
William Kent (Bridlington 1685 - London 1748), designer