The Ass in the School

Pieter Bruegel the Elder produced this satirical drawing illustrating the Flemish proverb about the futility of teaching a donkey to read. A classroom scene shows a donkey seated at a desk surrounded by scholars, mocking the idea that education can transform a fool. Bruegel's pen captures the absurd scenario with characteristic wit.

Bruegel was famous for his moralizing imagery drawn from proverbs and folk wisdom. This Renaissance drawing demonstrates his skill as a draftsman and his sharp eye for human folly. Now at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.