December 15, 1610

Abraham Teniers was a Flemish painter, (1629 - 1670 ). He was one of four sons of David Teniers, the elder, and one reads they all were painters. David Teniers the Younger (December 15, 1610 to April 25, 1690) was the most famous of the brothers. David Teniers the Younger was linked to Pieter Brueghel though marriage.

The titling of the Flemish canvases we reference now seem to be the an arbitrary description of the contents. Both Abraham and David were known for their genre scenes. But Abraham Teniers is interesting for his fondness for genre scenes displayed with monkeys in place of people, monkeys and cats. The painting called "Singerie dans un corps de garde" shows a cat having been detained by guards who happen to be monkeys. The costumes are human, the poses are human, the characters though are often monkeys, and in this case, monkeys and a cat. 

This theme is repeated with different backgrounds and stories. We have
"The Smoking Room with Monkeys" sometimes called "Tobacco Club of Monkeys". In this scene we also see signs of gambling, die, and playing cards in the details.

There is the "Monkey Barber", and also "Gambling Monkeys." Most famous today among Abraham Teniers's work is "Barber Shop with Monkeys and Cats."

Somehow a canvas called "The Kitchen" fits in here, though it has no jarring transpositions of animals and people. The scene here is a large interior area with game meat hanging from the walls and on the floor, and people around. The interesting thing is that there are lots of dogs standing around in this picture. 

David Teniers, The Younger, and his brother Abraham were both members of Antwerp's Guild of St Luke.