Baboons with Fruit
2023 © Maxim Tabachnik
Grotesque Ceiling DecorationChrist Carrying His CrossSaint Michael the ArchangelGrotesque Fantasy with BeastsEmperor HadrianArchangel MichaelApollo and DaphneAngel with the SudariumPsyche Awakens CupidThe Battle of ZamaThe Abduction of EuropaPerseus Beheads the Sea MonsterPsyche and the Old WomanMausoleum of HadrianPanoramic View from Castel Sant’AngeloChrist in LimboThe Miracle of the AngelThe BathMythological Ceiling with Stucco ReliefLamentation over the Dead ChristTritons and Naiads in CombatMarine Deity with CornucopiaSt. Michael the ArchangelCeiling of the Sala PaolinaLeda and the SwanFestina LenteAquatic Satire with TurtlesBaboons with FruitView Toward the Altare della Patria from Castel Sant’AngeloArchangel Michael in BattlePerseus Slays the Sea MonsterPan and a NymphPerseus Approaches AndromedaSt. Michael and Grotesque MotifsRooftop Catapult and AmmunitionMarine Deities and Serpentine CreaturesThe Virgin and Blessing Child EnthronedMarine Procession of Tritons and NereidsMax at Castel Sant’Angelo TerraceCupid and PsycheNaumachia in the Belvedere CourtyardSea Procession with Tritons and NereidsEmbracing TritonsAllegory with ChimeraTritons and Sea CreaturesThe Miracle of the Angel

Baboons with FruitAttributed to Pellegrino Tibaldi, after Perin del Vaga

769
This fresco (1547), attributed to Pellegrino Tibaldi and based on a design by Perin del Vaga, shows two baboons exchanging fruit. Painted beneath the scene of St Michael, it humorously breaks the pictorial frame, playing with illusionistic space. The lively naturalism and wit reflect Renaissance interest in observing and subverting nature within sacred settings.