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A particularly rare brass monkey collar, originally used to chain the animal to a hurdy-gurdy cart. The collar comes with its matching 'post collar' which would have secured the monkey to its owner's cart via a rope or chain, whilst allowing the animal to move around, albeit a limited amount.
 
The hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument with a wooden wheel which acts as a bow when turned with a crank. A keyboard with rows of small wooden pegs press against the interior strings to modify their pitch and produce a melody.
 
Hurdy-gurdy men were essentially roaming buskers who caught the attention of passers-by with the unique sound of their instrument, and then kept their audience captivated and entertained with a performing monkey on a leash. The monkey was most often dressed in brightly coloured carnival clothing, and would perform simple tricks such as dancing, or holding out a hat to collect money from the audience.