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By Luís Serra, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile
About 3 min read
At first I thought an esparto donkey head was a charming object and not much more. A cheerful piece to hang on the wall of a country house. Then I realised the point was something else.
The Donkey Head is a decorative esparto sculpture made by hand by Isidoro Ramos, a craftsman from Paderne, in the municipality of Albufeira, in the Algarve. He uses empreita, the technique of plaiting esparto grass that he learned from his grandmother and his mother. It comes in several sizes.
Why did the donkey almost disappear from the Algarve?
For generations, the donkey was the inseparable working partner of Algarve farmers, especially up in the hills. It served subsistence farming and transport. When mechanisation reached the countryside, it was no longer needed and slowly faded away. Today it is almost extinct in the region.
Some people are bringing it back, in organic and regenerative farming, in nature tourism and in conservation projects. In practice, this piece does something rare: it reminds us of an animal that still exists but that almost nobody sees.
What is esparto and how is it worked?
Esparto is a native grass that grows in the fields and hills of the Algarve. Isidoro Ramos pulls it up between July and September, leaves it in the sun until it turns golden and then soaks it so it softens. Only then does he plait it into strips, the empreita, which are coiled and stitched together with a thick needle and jute or sisal cord.
Put like that, it sounds simple. It isn't. It depends on the plant's calendar, on the sun and on hands that know what they are doing.
Why does this piece matter?
For me, what's interesting is the coincidence. Isidoro Ramos doesn't let the donkey disappear. Nor the esparto. Nor the techniques his grandmother and mother taught him. Three things at risk, holding each other up in a single piece.
The result has a big muzzle, pricked, attentive ears, almost sweet eyes and a head woven through with colour. It's funny. And here, funny counts: it's what makes someone stop and ask where it came from.
I started out seeing a decorative object. I ended up seeing an archive. Small, golden and with ears.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Donkey Head in esparto grass?
A decorative sculpture in the shape of a donkey head, handmade in esparto, a native plant fibre. It celebrates the rural memory of the Algarve.
Who makes this piece and where?
Isidoro Ramos, an artisan from Paderne, in the Algarve, who learned the esparto technique from his grandmother and mother.
What materials are used?
The body is made of esparto, a native plant, joined with natural jute or sisal cord.
What is the technique?
The esparto is braided into strips called empreita, which are then coiled and stitched with a thick needle and natural cord until the volume of the piece is formed.
Why is it so rare?
The donkey almost disappeared from the Algarve with mechanisation, and the esparto craft itself is at risk, passed on by ever fewer hands.
How is esparto gathered and prepared?
It is harvested between July and September, dried in the sun until it takes on a golden tone and then moistened to soften it before being braided and stitched by hand.
