La lechera, Bronze sculpture in Plaza Trascorrales, Oviedo, Spain.
La lechera is a bronze sculpture in Plaza Trascorrales in Oviedo showing a woman holding a milk vessel with a donkey beside her carrying milk containers. The figures stand at ground level and depict how this profession appeared in the city's streets.
Created in 1996, this sculpture honors milk sellers who distributed fresh dairy products on Oviedo's streets until the 1970s. It marked a shift in the city's public art from commemorating notable figures to celebrating ordinary occupations.
The figure shows a woman dressed in traditional Asturian clothing as she would have appeared daily on city streets, reflecting everyday life in Oviedo. It honors the work of women whose labor shaped the city for generations and whose craft has largely faded from memory.
The sculpture stands in Plaza Trascorrales near the former fish market and is easy to reach on foot. It remains visible at all times and is comfortable to view since it sits in open plaza space.
The sculpture includes remarkably lifelike details such as a donkey beside the woman, which authentically conveys the daily reality of the work. Many visitors do not notice until closer inspection that the animal is rendered so realistically it appears almost alive.
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