HI Robert ! So nice to see this forum up and running and full of intelligent people. Yes, I remembered Jean-Michel was hot on this trail of possible French stone sources for the tarot images, so I thought of him and hoped he'd like this critter.
I took this photograph. The sculpture is not German, but French. The little guy is holding up a cornice in
Church of Saint Radegonde, in Poitiers, France. (The church also houses the Saint's bones). This figure is one of about 100 others which support the cornices of the inner walls. This one comes from the left wall of the nave. The nave is the part of the church which was entirely rebuilt in the early 1200's, so the figure was probably carved early XIII century.
Having done a little more exploring on your site, I have seen repertories of medieval clothing that showed this kind of cap with the long donkey-like ear thingies.
What do you think of the spoon ? There was a thread on Aeclectic ages ago, where we discussed the fool and his spoon. my husband's reaction is that it is a beggar's spoon.