Monachum Non Facit Cucullus Monks unfit for a Friars Hood

Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)

Price

£3,500

Signed

Inscribed with title

Medium

Ink and watercolour

Dimensions

7 ½ x 10 inches

Provenance

The Lawrence Alkin Collection

Exhibited

'The Lawrence Alkin Collection', Chris Beetles Gallery, London, May-July 2026, no 5

In the present image, Thomas Rowlandson satirises the hypocritical morality of monks, depicting them feasting gluttonously despite their religious vows. One monk can even be seen stirring the soup with a crucifix. The Latin proverb was also commonly translated as ‘The hood does not make the monk’.

On the shelf behind the monks sits a skull; a Memento Mori that perhaps serves as a warning to the sinful monks.

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