Ezels in een buitenstal 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve sketched these "Donkeys in an outdoor stable" with a pencil, capturing the essence of the working animal's life. The donkey here, laden with burdens, is a motif stretching back millennia. We see its echo in ancient Near Eastern art, bearing kings and gods, then re-emerging in Christian iconography with Christ's humble entry into Jerusalem. Consider, too, Apuleius's "The Golden Ass," where the donkey is a symbol of transformation. The donkey’s symbolic journey is non-linear, with no true origin. It cycles through cultural memory. The image resonates as an emblem of burden, humility, and transformation, its emotional weight carried across centuries and cultures.