Apen in de bakkerij - Matthijs Pool

A satirical eighteenth-century etching by Matthijs Pool depicting monkeys engaged in the daily tasks of a bakery.

This etching, titled Apen in de bakkerij, belongs to the genre of singerie, a decorative style popular in the early eighteenth century that depicts monkeys mimicking human behaviour. Matthijs Pool, a Dutch engraver active in Amsterdam, captures a bustling bakery scene where anthropomorphic monkeys perform the tasks of bakers. One monkey tends to the oven with a peel, while others weigh ingredients or prepare dough at a wooden table. The composition is structured with a clear sense of interior space, featuring a large hearth, a set of scales, and various baking implements. An owl sits perched above the oven, adding a touch of whimsical observation to the scene, while a small dog rests quietly in the foreground.

The print includes bilingual captions in French and Dutch, which provide a satirical commentary on the activities depicted. Such works were often produced as part of series exploring the absurdity of human social roles by projecting them onto animals. The technical execution demonstrates the precision typical of Dutch printmaking during this period, with fine cross-hatching used to define the textures of the fur, the stone of the oven, and the wooden surfaces of the bakery. The scene is both a display of technical skill and a reflection of the period's fascination with moralising satire and playful visual narratives. By placing these creatures in a domestic and professional setting, the artist invites the viewer to consider the performative nature of human labour and social hierarchy. This print remains a curious example of the intersection between natural history illustration and the satirical traditions of the European Enlightenment.