The Artist and His Rival

A famous artist was commissioned by the ruler of a powerful city to paint frescoes on the walls of his palace. Scaffolding was put in place and the artist began to paint. The next morning he discovered that his painting had been scrawled on and covered with splashes of paint.

The artist was furious, thinking that one of his rivals had done it. To find the culprit, the prince ordered the guards to hide in the room, so they could surprise the vandal, if he returned, and teach him a lesson. The guilty party was caught in the act, and turned out to be the prince's pet monkey. It had watched the artist at work and tried to imitate him.

The monkey was put back in its cage until the painting was finished. When it was released and saw the painting, the monkey pulled a face, as if so say, 'I could have done it better.'

'Now you really are behaving like a true painter,' laughed the prince. 'It is well-known that artists do not have the gift of modesty, and they all think their own work is a masterpiece and other artists' work is rubbish.'