A satirical etching from the Dutch Golden Age depicting monkeys engaged in the trade of a butcher, rendered with fine detail and wit.

This etching by Matthijs Pool belongs to the genre of singerie, a decorative style popular in the early eighteenth century that depicts monkeys mimicking human behaviour. In this scene, the artist presents a chaotic market square where monkeys have assumed the roles of butchers and labourers. The central figure, a monkey dressed in human attire, is shown in the process of butchering a pig, while other simian figures assist or observe the task. The background features a typical Dutch townscape with stepped-gable houses, providing a contrast between the orderly architecture and the absurd, anthropomorphic activity occurring in the foreground.

Pool, an Amsterdam-based engraver, utilised fine, precise lines to define the textures of the animals' fur and the cobblestone street. The composition is structured to lead the eye from the central butchery scene toward the background, where other monkeys are seen chasing livestock. The inclusion of text in both French and Dutch at the base of the print suggests a satirical intent, common in works of this period that used animal allegory to comment on human social roles and professional conduct. The print captures the wit and technical skill associated with Dutch printmaking of the era, offering a glimpse into the period's fascination with moralising satire and whimsical imagery. The work remains a curious example of how artists of the time used humour to engage with contemporary life, placing the familiar setting of a market square into a surreal, inverted reality where the natural order is replaced by the antics of monkeys.