Man met twee schapen en een bepakte ezel 1842

This image, etched by Frédéric Théodore Faber, depicts a man with two sheep and a burdened donkey. The humble sheep are rich with symbolism, evoking ideas of sacrifice, purity, and pastoral simplicity. This imagery has persisted through time, from the sacrificial lambs of ancient rituals to the Christian symbol of Christ as the Lamb of God. Think of the "Ecce Agnus Dei" – "Behold the Lamb of God." The sheep are representative of innocence and vulnerability. The donkey, burdened with baskets, is a motif laden with cultural weight. From antiquity, it represents both labor and humility, a beast of burden carrying the weight of daily life. In the image, the loaded donkey can be seen as an echo of ancient migratory patterns, a testament to the enduring human relationship with animals as partners. The motifs in Faber's etching resonate within our collective memory, reminding us of the cyclical nature of life, where symbols persist.