Year of the Monkey

The Chinese animal zodiac, or Shengxiao, is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year being represented by an animal and its reputed attributes. Traditionally these zodiac animals were used to date the years.

This year it's the Year of the Monkey, the ninth animal in the cycle. 2016 is a Fire Monkey year. Both the sign and element of your birth year are said to affect your personality and destiny. The characteristics of a Fire Monkey are 'ambitious and adventurous, but irritable'.

Monkey years are believed to be an unlucky years for people of the Monkey sign. “Monkeys” (who take Chinese astrology seriously) are particularly careful about their health, love lives, career, and investments in Monkey years.

Regardless of the bad luck associated with this Chinese zodiac sign, we often see monkeys as being cute and highly intelligent animals and significant in their impact on our culture.

In honour of Year of the Monkey, we have put together a selection of items in the form of this adorable animal.

Japanese Hirdo porcelain monkey, offered by David Bowden.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, wooden and crystal okinomo, 19th century, Japanese, offered by David Bowden. 

Japanese wood netsuke monkey, 19th century, offered by David Bowden.

18th Century bronze & cloisonné monkey God, Chinese. Offered by David Bowden.

Amber monkey sculpture, offered by Amber Fortuna

A selection of five 19th century figures from The Monkey Orchestra by Meissen, which was modelled in 1753 by Johann Joachim Kaendler. He created 21 pieces for the Orchestra in all. Offered by Serhat Ahmet Antiques.