Ram with bundle on his back leads Reynard towards town c. 17th century

Editor: So, here we have Allart van Everdingen’s engraving, "Ram with bundle on his back leads Reynard towards town." It feels like a fable, doesn't it? What do you make of this curious trio, this ram, fox and bundle, heading towards the town? Curator: It’s wonderfully odd, isn’t it? Immediately, I think of Aesop and those old tales where animals reveal human truths. Van Everdingen gives us this bucolic scene, but there’s a definite tension. The fox, Reynard, is famously sly, so what’s in that bundle? And why is the ram so willing? Are we seeing innocence, or perhaps foolishness, being led astray? Editor: It's interesting you say that. I was thinking maybe the ram isn't so innocent. What if the bundle is something stolen? Curator: Oh, I love that! Suddenly, the whole dynamic shifts. This piece makes you wonder, doesn’t it, about the stories we tell ourselves and the motives hidden just beneath the surface. Editor: Absolutely! This piece definitely has a way of igniting the imagination.