ROBIN BEST "The Knight of the Lions" swipe for more - background a bus load of students arriving at @massmoca - education + cultural tourism - #welikeithere #mynorthadams #creativeeconomy #intheberkshires #robinbest #ferrincontemporaryinthegallery "ROBIN BEST The Knight of the Lions Statement The image of the monkey is a favorite of French eighteenth- and nineteenth-century decorative art. Entire rooms, or singeries, were devoted to the antics of monkeys mimicking human behavior. This monkey, seated on his satin cushion, relates the adventures of Don Quixote — who becomes known as the Knight of the Lions in Cervantes’ famous story. Particular scenes of the story are told in the raspberry-red French toile imagery that covers most of his body. His torso is painted to represent Spanish decorative armor of the sixteenth century. Cervantes’ Don Quixote was middle aged, living in La Mancha, Spain, and more than a little obsessed with knight errantry. With his nag, Rocinante, his faithful squire, Snacho Panz, and his mule, Dapple, he takes to the road in search of adventure where he claims Dulcinea del Toboso, a local peasant girl, as his ladylove and the inspiration for his heroism. In his many adventures, Cervantes’ hero imagines windmills as giants, mobs of sheep as two great warring armies, and a basin as the helmet of Mambrino — famously owned by Orlando himself. The reward for these misguided acts of heroism was serious injury to Quixote. However, he earns the title Knight of the Lions when challenged to show bravery in battle with one of the king’s lions. He is able to claim victory when the indifferent lion is unwilling to leave his cage and fight. Eventually, in an effort to save him from himself, his friends trick him into returning home where he repents his silliness, catches fever, and dies. THE KNIGHT OF THE LIONS 2016 porcelain, on-glaze Xin Cai 14.1 x 7.9 x 10.25"; 36 x 20 x 26cm (at Ferrin Contemporary)