Monkey on a Stick

Anna Hyatt Huntington, Monkey on a Stick, 1936, cast aluminum, 20 7810 147 14 in. (52.926.018.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1967.50.6

Artwork Details

Title
Monkey on a Stick
Date
1936
Dimensions
20 7810 147 14 in. (52.926.018.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
cast aluminum
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — monkey
Object Number
1967.50.6

Artwork Description

Ann Hyatt Huntington sculpted domestic and wild animals with equal skill, and was praised for her ability to capture their unique spirits. Her creatures leap, dance, fight, and play according to their natures. She liked to model them in arrested motion or in precarious stances. For instance, in Bears and Seal, the forward thrust of one bear and the arching back of the other communicates the hunger of the bears and the ferociousness they feel toward each other. Huntington’s Hound has a rough texture that makes him seem menacing and contrasts with the sinuous lines of his posture. He stands unsteadily on a small base---ready to pounce at any moment---and howls at the fierce wind. Huntington positioned the hound’s tail between his legs to signify his mood and to act as a structural support for his narrow forelegs.

Works by this artist (4 items)

Walter Anderson, Pelicans at North Key, ca. 1945, pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Walter Anderson, 1967.96.1
Pelicans at North Key
Dateca. 1945
pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Walter Anderson, Shells, ca. 1950, pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Walter Anderson, 1967.96.3
Shells
Dateca. 1950
pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Walter Anderson, Horn Island, ca. 1960, watercolor and pencil, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Walter Anderson, 1967.96.4
Horn Island
Dateca. 1960
watercolor and pencil
Not on view
Walter Anderson, Crab on the Beach, ca. 1950, watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Walter Anderson, 1967.96.2
Crab on the Beach
Dateca. 1950
watercolor and pencil on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Welmon Sharlhorne, Untitled (Building with Recessed Entrance and Black Foreground), ca. 1992, ink on manila envelope, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.135
Untitled (Building with Recessed Entrance and Black…
Dateca. 1992
ink on manila envelope
Not on view
Andrea Way, Bones, 1987, ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tom and Judy Brody, 2009.38.3, © 1987, Andrea Way
Bones
Date1987
ink on paper
Not on view
Carl Piwinski, Martian Worlds, ca. 1992, ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.125
Martian Worlds
Dateca. 1992
ink on paper
Not on view
Christoph Voll, William H. Johnson, Heads of Two Children, ca. 1930-1938, pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.388
Heads of Two Children
Artist
Dateca. 1930-1938
pen and ink on paper
Not on view