Antoine Denis Chaudet

The sheet depicts a scene from Book III, chapters 26-27, of Lucius Apuleius's "The Golden Ass," in which Lucius has just been transformed into an ass and has gone to the stable to spend his first night. There he joins his own horse as well as the donkey of his host, Milo. Having been told that by consuming rose petals he will be returned to his human form, Lucius stands on his hind legs and attempts to reach the rose garlands draped around the shrine of Epona, patron goddess of donkeys and horses. He is discovered in this position by the stable boy, who believes Lucius is attacking the sacred statue and disciplines him by beating him with a wooden branch.
This drawing was engraved and published in 1795. There is another illustration by Chaudet based on Apuleius's tale in the collection of the Library (inv. 2000.7). Chaudet completed at least ten illustration designs of similar size and technique for "The Golden Ass," around 1795, when he branched out into designing book illustrations after primarily working as a sculptor.