Public domain
Fable of the Ass and the Reed
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
An ash tree is blown over and uprooted by the wind. In the foreground, bundles of reed sway with the wind. The fable describes how the ash considered itself superior to the reed, but was uprooted by a storm wind, while the reed suffered no harm from the wind. The moral of the story teaches that pride comes before a fall.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineFabel van de es en het riet. 1608. Aegidius Sadeler (II). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
