The Donkey Laden with Food, from Emblematic Figures of Animals

About this artwork

Prints of animals could be accurate and fanciful simultaneously. This finely engraved yet slightly caricatured scene from Aesop’s Fables depicts a donkey laden with fine food and wine who nonetheless happily gnaws at a prickly thistle instead. Moral interpretations of the text have ranged from “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” to a critique of stinginess. Though unsigned, this humorous image of feast and famine set off a chain of copies, ironically ending with a dozen Aesop roundels that ...

Art Historical Context

Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne'sThe Donkey Laden with*, created in 1633, is a captivating engraving from his series *Emblematic Figures of Animals*. A prominent Dutch artist of the Golden Age, van de Venne specialized in moralistic and satirical works that blended genre scenes with emblematic symbolism. This piece exemplifies the 17th-century Dutch fascination with emblem books—popular illustrated texts pairing images of animals with proverbs or mottos to impart ethical lessons. Here, the overburdened donkey likely evokes themes of gluttony or the folly of excess, drawing from classical fables and everyday proverbs to critique human vices. Rendered as an engraving on luxurious ivory laid paper (plate: 27.3 × 20.5 cm), the work showcases van de Venne's mastery of the intaglio technique. Fine lines incised into a metal plate capture intricate details—the donkey's weary posture, heavy loads of food sacks, and expressive features—allowing for rich tonal contrasts when inked and printed. Ivory laid paper, with its subtle texture and creamy hue, enhanced the print's elegance, making it prized by collectors. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this engraving reflects the era's cultural emphasis on visual moral instruction. It invites visitors to ponder timeless wisdom: how even beasts burdened by indulgence mirror our own indulgences, blending artistry with gentle admonition.

About the Artist

Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne · 1589–1662

Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne (1589–1662) was born in Delft to parents who had fled religious strife in the Southern Netherlands; his father, stocking maker Pieter van de Venne from Lier, died before his birth, and his mother, Jannetgen Beuvincx from Tournai, remarried weaver Laurens Wittocx, producing half-brother Salomon Lourens, a coarse painter and bricklayer. He collaborated closely with olde...