Fabel van de boer en zijn ezel; De boer en zijn zoon dragen de ezel op een draagbaar 1627 - 1628

This undated etching by Wenceslaus Hollar, titled *Fable of the farmer and his donkey*, presents a scene ripe with social commentary. Hollar, who lived through the tumultuous Thirty Years' War, often used his art to reflect on the absurdities of human behavior. Here, we see a farmer and his son carrying their donkey on a stretcher, likely in an attempt to please a group of onlookers who appear to be mocking them. This image speaks to the pressures of societal expectations and the loss of individual agency. The farmer's willingness to literally carry the weight of others' opinions highlights the performative nature of social acceptance. The landscape around them, with its mix of industry and idyll, creates a scene in which the personal and the political intersect. The emotional resonance of this piece lies in the farmer's seeming lack of awareness. Are they foolish or simply trying to survive in a world that demands conformity? Hollar invites us to consider how easily we can be swayed by external pressures, sometimes to the point of absurdity.