Headpiece (page 181) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood engraving by Thomas Bewick made as a headpiece for the 1818 edition of Aesop’s Fables, intended to introduce and visually summarize the story “The Old Hound.”
A crisply incised oval vignette shows a mounted huntsman urging his hounds across a rolling countryside, the image’s fine hatching and minute texture drawing you into a rich scene despite the print’s small scale.
Bewick’s economical, naturalistic wood engravings helped establish the medium as a refined tool for illustrated books, shaping nineteenth‑century book design and how readers encountered stories visually.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8" (5.8 × 8 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.166
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
