Public domain
Fable of the Fly and the Ants
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
A group of ants in front of a tree. In the sky, a fly. The fable tells of the fly boasting to the ants about his wonderful life. The ants praise their own industriousness. When winter comes, the fly dies, while the ants survive by the fruits of their labor. The moral of the story teaches that industriousness is a virtue and idleness a vice.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineFabel van de vlieg en de mieren. 1608. Aegidius Sadeler (II). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
