The Monkey Opens the Package and Removes the Rabbit's Head to the Great Surprise of the Animals from Hendrick van Alcmar's Renard The Fox 1650 - 1675

This etching, "The Monkey Opens the Package and Removes the Rabbit's Head to the Great Surprise of the Animals," is part of a larger series, "Renard the Fox," by Allart van Everdingen, a Dutch artist who was a major figure in the development of Dutch landscape painting. This particular image features a monkey seated with its back to the viewer, opening a box that reveals the severed head of a rabbit. The shocked reactions of the surrounding animals, including a wolf, two sheep, a lion, a leopard, and a wolf, are depicted in great detail. The scene, which is set in a forest with trees and a distant background, likely alludes to the theme of trickery and deceit. The etching was created between 1650 and 1675 and is currently part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in New York City.