Tailpiece (page 242) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood-engraved tailpiece by Thomas Bewick, made to serve as a decorative miniature scene that closes the page of his 1818 edition of The Fables of Aesop.
Tucked under the printed moral, the tiny black-and-white vignette seizes attention with tight cross-hatching and crisp line—a solitary figure in a compact rural setting framed by clouds and foliage, like a little visual punctuation to the text.
Bewick’s finely detailed wood engraving exemplifies how small, reproducible illustrations transformed bookmaking in the early nineteenth century, bringing narrative richness and mass accessibility to illustrated literature.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition (irreg.): 1 1/4 × 2" (3.1 × 5.1 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.215
Palette
Exhibitions
