Headpiece (page 13) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood engraving headpiece by Thomas Bewick that introduces and visually summarizes the Aesop fable “The Collier and the Fuller,” meant to set the scene and mood at the top of the page.
An oval vignette of two men by a riverside—one seated, one gesturing—draws you in with exquisitely fine engraving lines and rich tonal contrasts that make trees, water, and weathered faces feel vividly present despite the tiny scale.
This work exemplifies Bewick’s reinvention of wood engraving for illustrated books, bringing naturalistic detail and subtle tonal effects to mass-produced literature and helping to redefine how stories were seen and read in the early nineteenth century.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/16" (5.8 × 8.1 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.17
Palette
Exhibitions
