John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester

John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, probably painted by Jacob Huysmans, around 1675. (Wikimedia Commons). It's not clear exactly what the message of the picture is supposed to be. Rochester is depicted crowning a monkey with laurel leaves. We could take this to be a mockery of literary accomplishment, or it might more specifically be a satire on John Dryden, then the poet laureate. The painting may also be referring to Rochester's poem "Satyr," where he claims that he would rather be a monkey or other animal rather than be a creature like a human that claims to be rational. Whatever the precise meaning here, it does seem clear that the artist, probably collaborating with Rochester himself, is making a complex joke about mimicry, authorship, and what it means to be a poet.