Iberian Bronze Sculpture of a Donkey or Mule, 600 BCE - 400 CE
Bronze
1 x 2.5 x 3.5
FZ.007
Further images
In 'The Golden Ass' of the Roman author Apuleius, we learn of the prominent place of donkeys and mules in the cults of fertility deities like Isis. This exquisitely modeled...
In "The Golden Ass" of the Roman author Apuleius, we learn of the prominent place of donkeys and mules in the cults of fertility deities like Isis. This exquisitely modeled votive was almost certainly an offering made to the gods in return for their fecund blessings. Bold and robust, it is clearly no patient beast of burden, but a donkey of almost human personality, one with a mind of his own.