Monkey's Head, Canterbury Cathedral Roof Boss 9cm High

Monkey's head roof boss. Canterbury Cathedral, cloisters. c.1350 This is quite a light hearted and unusual piece. The monkey was probably taken from the "Barbary Apes" of Gibraltar which the Crusaders would have brought back to Britain with them. Although very obviously a monkey, the rather high positioning of his ears suggest that the carver probably didn't have a live "model" to copy, but was reliant upon a third party's sketch. This carving is probably intended as an architectural pun, or Rebus, since the monkey wears a monk's cowl. Hand crafted in the UK

Size: 3 3/4 Inches (9cm) high

Weight: 600 grams