Headpiece (page 191) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood engraving headpiece by Thomas Bewick that sets the scene for “The Wolf and the Lamb,” using a compact narrative image to introduce the fable’s moral.
An oval vignette that feels jewel-like in its tiny scale—fine, crisp engraved lines build dense foliage, rock, a tumbling stream, a crouched wolf and a solitary lamb so that texture and drama read immediately despite the image’s small size.
Bewick’s meticulous wood engraving helped redefine book illustration in the early 19th century, combining naturalistic observation with reproducible technique and shaping the visual language of illustrated books that followed.
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
680.1964.173
Palette
Exhibitions
