Comic actor on a donkey

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Artwork is in the public domain. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Museum of Art at Hamilton…
Comic actor on a donkey
Artwork is in the public domain. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. Photo by David Revette. For educational purposes only.
Artist/Maker
Datedate unknown
MediumTerracotta with remnants of pigment
DimensionsOverall: 4 1/8 × 2 7/8 × 1 3/4 in. (10.5 × 7.3 × 4.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Edward S. Burgess, Class of 1879, H1904
Object numberINV.635
On view
DescriptionClay buff; red paint in donkey's mouth. Front molded; back left plain with large rectangular vent hole. Paunch-bellied, phallic dwarf with mantle over right shoulder. Astride donkey with right hand on flank, left on head of donkey; donkey's head raised to bray. Rider wears comic mask and skull cap. Group represented in relief on front of figure so that all four of the donkey's legs appear.
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Additional Details

Alternate Titles Comic actor on a donkey
Exhibition History 2024-2025
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).
Provenance c. 1929: Hamilton College, by bequest of Edward S. Burgess;
?: Edward S. Burgess.
Markings Label: "135" on white adhesive label at base of object.
Signature Not signed.
Inscribed No inscriptions noted.
The Biggest Scare and Hoax Yet!--The Wild Animals Let Loose Again by the Zoomorphism Press, from "Harper's Weekly"
The Biggest Scare and Hoax Yet!--The Wild Animals Let Loose Again by the Zoomorphism Press, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published February 6, 1875
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: S2019.2.103
Photograph by John Bentham.
Palenque de los moros hecho con burros para defenderse del toro embolado (The Moors use donkeys as a barrier to defend themselves against the bull whose horns have been tipped with balls), plate 17 from "La Tauromaquia" (The Bullfight)
Francisco Goya
Date: 1815, first published 1816
Medium: Etching and aquatint on paper
Object number: 1928.8
Patio scene with donkeys
Patio scene with donkeys
Leon Unturbe y Conte
Date: 1888-1925
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Object number: S2018.2.864
Whoa!—Greenback the Weaver, from "Harper's Weekly"
Whoa!—Greenback the Weaver, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published April 24, 1880
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: S2019.2.216
Photograph by Dave Revette.
Black-figure lekythos (oil jar)
Manner of the Haimon Painter
Date: c. 500-480 BCE
Medium: Terracotta with slip
Object number: 1929.21
Let Him Roar, Mr. Speaker, from "Harper's Weekly"
Let Him Roar, Mr. Speaker, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published March 6, 1880
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: 2019.13.502
The Democratic Tiger-in-the-Manger, and the Submissive (M)Asses, from "Harper's Weekly"
The Democratic Tiger-in-the-Manger, and the Submissive (M)Asses, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published April 22, 1876
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: 2019.13.322
Saint John's Harbour, Antigua. From the Southward and Eastward.
Saint John's Harbour, Antigua. From the Southward and Eastward.
C. Bentley
Date: published July 1, 1829
Medium: Engraving with hand coloring
Object number: 1971.48
Caesarphobia, from "Harper's Weekly"
Caesarphobia, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published August 1, 1874
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: 2019.13.250
The Lionized Asinus Vulgaris, from "Harper's Weekly"
The Lionized Asinus Vulgaris, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published December 16, 1876
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: 2019.13.354
The Hobby in the Kinder-Garten, from "Harper's Weekly"
The Hobby in the Kinder-Garten, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published October 24, 1874
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: 2019.13.257
The ‘Funny’ Little Boy in Trouble, from "Harper's Weekly"
The ‘Funny’ Little Boy in Trouble, from "Harper's Weekly"
Thomas Nast
Date: published November 28, 1874
Medium: Wood engraving on newsprint
Object number: 2019.13.262