The donkey has a firm place in the history of art – as a beast of burden, a symbol of modesty and a silent observer of human dramas. From biblical iconography to modern painting, it appears again and again – sometimes as a faithful companion, sometimes as a mirror of human idiosyncrasies. Although he is rarely in the limelight, his appearance often reveals more about society than the heroes who ride him.
Most of us know the donkey together with the ox in the stable in connection with the birth of Christ. In fact, these animals are not mentioned in the New Testament accounts of the birth; their presence only came about through the art-historical tradition, which interpreted the simple, patient animal as a symbol of modesty and tranquillity. For a long time, the donkey was the most important mount in the Mediterranean region. It was considered noble, skillful, clever and patient. With the introduction of the horse in the sixth century BC, its role changed: the donkey was increasingly degraded to a beast of burden, and its symbolic significance was devalued as a result.
The donkey was already depicted artistically in the earliest civilizations. In Egyptian tomb paintings, it can be seen as a tireless workhorse, a symbol of constancy and provision. It was also present in antiquity – on Greek vases, Roman reliefs and coins, often in connection with peasant work or mythological scenes. Its association with the god Dionysus and the goddess Demeter is particularly interesting, as it is one of their followers. It also appears in the myth of Silen, for whom it serves as a mount. One well-known story is that of King Midas, which was handed down by Ovid. King Midas is present at the contest between the god Apollo and the shepherd god Pan. Tmolos, a mountain deity, acts as referee and chooses Apollo as the winner. Midas protests: He liked Pan’s playing with the panpipe better than Apollo’s presentation with the kithara. Apollo then punishes Midas with donkey ears.
With the advent of Christianity, the animal took on a new, deeper meaning. In biblical art, the donkey became a symbol of humility and peace. Particularly impressive: Giotto’s depiction of the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (around 1305) in the Scrovegni Chapel. Here, the animal carries the divine figure without splendor, but with dignity. The donkey thus becomes the embodiment of the Christian ideal: strong in silence, dignified in simplicity. But it also plays an important role as a mount on the flight from Egypt. Mary, who is pregnant with Jesus, rides on it.
In the Middle Ages, the donkey often appears in scenes of the birth of Christ – at the side of the Virgin Mary in the manger, next to the ox. This constellation, known from countless altarpieces and frescoes, stands for the simple, human and earthy. Artists such as Fra Angelico, Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Hieronymus Bosch used the donkey as a resting pole – as a symbol of patience in the midst of the divine.
At the same time, the donkey served as a symbol of folly in medieval book illumination and satire. Miniatures show monks with donkey ears, fools in priestly garb – a subtle criticism of arrogance and arrogance. Rembrandt’s painting “The Prophet Balaam and the Ass” is dedicated to a story from the Old Testament. The prophet is shown riding his donkey and has just swung a stick to strike her. However, the donkey has seen something that Balaam has not noticed: an angel of the Lord is blocking the way. The donkey stops, moves out of the way and finally says to Balaam: “What have I done to you that you are now hitting me for the third time?”. God then opens his eyes and allows the prophet to see the angel with the sword. Balaam now realizes that he has sinned. In his painting, Rembrandt masterfully emphasizes the dramatic tension between divine warning, human anger and animal wisdom, making the donkey or ass an active symbol of insight and divine providence.
In the 20th century, the donkey appeared in completely new roles. Pablo Picasso painted several depictions of the animal in his pink period, for example in “Femme à l’âne”, combining tenderness and simplicity. Marc Chagall had the donkey appear in floating scenes above villages, as in “The Donkey and the Violin”, as a poetic messenger between heaven and earth. The donkey thus became a symbol of ambivalence: purity, humility and at the same time an expression of human longing.
In modern art, the donkey is often less a motif than a metaphor. Franz Marc described the world from the animal’s perspective and remarked that a donkey’s gaze appears “sad and knowing at the same time” – an interpretation that underlines its symbolic power. A well-known work of his is the “Donkey Frieze”, which was also an important step in the painter’s artistic development. Inspired by an Egyptian relief, he created a frieze-like arrangement of donkeys.
The donkey thus remains a chameleon of meanings. Whether religious, poetic or political, its presence prompts the viewer to reflect on values such as patience, humility and dignity. The donkey may be less conspicuous in art than horses or lions, but its symbolic power is unbroken. It embodies the unspectacular, the persistent, the gentle. In a world full of noise, the donkey reminds us of silence, patience and the dignity of simplicity. And so it remains, as it has for centuries, a silent witness to human cultural history – an animal that in its modesty often tells us more than the heroes who accompany it.
