Ezels bij een muur Possibly 1600 - 1660

Editor: So, this is "Donkeys by a Wall," an etching, likely made sometime between 1600 and 1660, by Moyses van Wtenbrouck. It's… strangely charming, I think? It reminds me of an old fable illustration, and there's something very realistic, maybe a little comical, about the way these animals are portrayed. What do you see in it? Curator: Oh, it tickles my fancy too! It's more than just a scene of farm animals, wouldn’t you agree? This work transports me to a bygone era, when artists found poetry in everyday life, using just a few lines and shapes to bring out a wealth of detail in a small copper plate, the light caressing these beasts… donkeys of course are always up to something! What’s the story here, I wonder? Van Wtenbrouck isn't just drawing donkeys; he’s inviting us to chuckle along with them, even to feel a bit sorry for their sometimes precarious existence. Look closely, what do you think their eyes are trying to tell us? Editor: Hmmm… They look like they are watching us… or something else out of frame. It’s interesting that you use “chuckle." Is there a historical element, like a Dutch joke, maybe something lost to time? Curator: Maybe it *is* a joke! What are the implications of depicting lowly creatures at a time when the Dutch Republic had a blooming merchant class? Think of that rugged wall behind them too—it is in such stark contrast to the open space beside the donkeys and goats. Wtenbrouck gives a subtle nod to the passing of time. Editor: So the donkeys may even be stand-ins for something else… It's amazing how much can be conveyed with a simple etching. I’ll never look at farm animals the same way again! Curator: Exactly! This seemingly humble image, with just some line art, carries within it a vast field for stories and observations. Art isn’t always just about what’s on the surface.