Headpiece (page 241) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood-engraved headpiece by Thomas Bewick that illustrates the fable “Jupiter and Pallas,” designed to introduce the tale and give it a classical, moralizing tone.
What strikes you is an oval, cameo-like scene of seated deities rendered in miniature with crisp, tight cross-hatching and strong light-and-dark contrasts so the figures seem to emerge from a patterned border.
Bewick’s finely worked wood engravings helped redefine early 19th‑century book illustration—bringing detailed, expressive imagery into widely circulated editions and influencing generations of printmakers and illustrators.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition: 2 1/4 × 3 3/16" (5.7 × 8.1 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.214
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
