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Isidoro RamosRa-Ro IndexVery RareWhat is the Ra-Ro Index?
Handmade byIsidoro Ramos
Donkey Head
54,20 €
Ships in about 1 week
Small‑batch craft production. The time counts from your order.No superstitions, no stubbornness here. It's beautiful, rare, and deserves to be celebrated and preserved. We're talking about the donkey - absolutely central to rural life in the Algarve until the mid-20th century, and here brought to mind again in esparto grass, by artisan Isidoro Ramos, in this decorative piece.
Read the story of the piece- Shipping to Europe, the US, Canada and Brazil
- Free returns within 14 days
- Secure, encrypted payment
Handmade byIsidoro RamosShipping and returns
Shipping time: Aproximadamente > 1 semana
We ship to Portugal, the rest of Europe, the US, Canada and Brazil. You have 14 days to return the piece free of charge. Payment is secure and encrypted.
Esparto grass from the Algarve
Donkey Head
A donkey head braided in esparto by Isidoro Ramos, in Paderne.
Story of the piece
Donkey Head
Three cheers for the donkey! May it live forever.
It was once considered an inseparable working partner to farmers. Both in subsistence farming and in transport. Especially in the hill country, but today the donkey is an almost vanished species in the Algarve.
Fortunately, there are those who remember it, and who want to give it new value - in organic and regenerative farming, in nature tourism, or in conservation projects.
Isidoro Ramos, an artisan born in Paderne, chose esparto to celebrate it. And he makes decorative donkey heads in several sizes.
Esparto is a native plant, which Isidoro watches grow in the fields and hills of the Algarve until it is ready to be pulled, between July and September.
Once pulled, the esparto is left in the sun to take on a golden tone, and is then soaked, to become softer and workable. It takes shape in braids - the empreita - which are then coiled and stitched together, with a thick needle and jute or sisal cord, to make this donkey.
A donkey made purely for decoration. With a large, prominent muzzle, alert, pricked-up ears, and almost gentle eyes, on a head interwoven with colour. Which gives it a sense of joy and playfulness.
Isidoro Ramos won't let the donkey disappear. Nor the esparto. Nor the traditional craft techniques that his grandmother's and mother's hands taught him.
In numbers
The piece in facts.
Harvest months3months
Esparto is pulled up between July and September.
Generations3
Grandmother, mother and Isidoro: the technique passed from hand to hand.
Esparto is not cut. It is pulled.
See the piece
See every detail.
The family
Several sizes
Decorative donkey heads, from the smallest to the largest.
- 1Pricked earsAlert, like a real donkey’s.
- 2Several sizesFrom the smallest to the largest.
- 3EmpreitaEsparto braids coiled and sewn together.
In profile
The donkey
A big muzzle, alert ears and a head woven with colour.
- 1EarsPricked and alert.
- 2Colourful ornamentsBring joy and youth to the piece.
- 3MuzzleBig and prominent.
Side view
The gaze
Almost gentle eyes on a head of golden esparto.
- 1EarsShaped in esparto.
- 2The eyesAlmost gentle.
- 3The stitchingSewn with a thick needle and jute or sisal cord.
Front view
The head
Seen from the front, the symmetry of the ears.
- 1EarOne on each side, standing straight.
- 2OrnamentBright colours on the esparto.
- 3EmpreitaThe braid that gives the donkey its shape.
Close up
The ornaments
Flowers and colours that brighten the esparto.
- 1EarTall and elegant.
- 2FlowersColourful ornaments on top of the head.
MEET THE MAKERESPARTO IS NOT CUT.
ESPARTO IS NOT CUT.
IT IS PULLED.
Isidoro Ramos returned to the fields where he grew up. And revived the tradition that his grandmother's and mother's hands taught him. So that Algarve esparto does not disappear from the hills where it still grows.
DISCOVER THE STORYFrom the same maker
More from Isidoro Ramos
Questions
Everything you need to know.
What is this piece?
Decorative donkey head in esparto by Algarve craftsman Isidoro Ramos, from Paderne. Traditional esparto weaving from the Algarve hills, woven with colour.
Which region is it from?
It comes from Algarve, in Portugal. At Ra-Ro, every piece is tied to its origin and to the territory where it is made.
Who makes this piece?
It is made by Isidoro Ramos, in Paderne, the producer Ra-Ro works with directly for this piece.
What technique is used?
This piece is made using the Espartaria technique.
Are all pieces identical?
As a handmade piece, it may vary slightly from one example to another. That variation is part of its authenticity.
Where do you ship?
We ship to Portugal, the rest of Europe, the US, Canada and Brazil.
How do returns work?
You have 14 days for a free return.
Is payment secure?
Yes, all payments are processed securely and encrypted.
Three cheers for the donkey.
Take it home.
54,20 € · available to ship
Buy nowShipping to Europe, US and Brazil14 days for free returnsSecure payment
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