Kop van een ezel, naar rechts 1821

This is Jean Bernard's pencil drawing, "Head of a Donkey, facing Right," now housed at the Rijksmuseum. Bernard, who lived through the tumult of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, gives us a close study of an animal often burdened with labor. The donkey, rendered with delicate strokes, wears a blind bridle, an instrument of control. What does it mean to be led, half-blind, into service? The image quietly speaks to themes of labor and servitude, echoing the social hierarchies of Bernard’s time. While seemingly simple, Bernard’s work invites us to consider the lives of those, human or animal, whose paths are dictated by others. It is through this drawing that Bernard offers a glimpse into the everyday, prompting us to reflect on the value and dignity of labor. It’s a quiet, intimate portrayal of a beast of burden, asking us to consider the unseen lives that support our own.