Headpiece (page 245) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A wood-engraved headpiece from an 1818 illustrated edition of Aesop’s Fables in which Thomas Bewick condenses the tale “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” into a small oval vignette showing a wolf in a sheepskin discovered and suspended by shepherds.
At first glance the tiny oval arrests you with its dense, lively engraving—fine hatching and stipple create expressive faces and gestures, the dangling wolf’s pelt and the richly textured foliage giving surprising depth and drama at miniature scale.
Bewick helped redefine book illustration around 1800 by proving that wood engraving could convey naturalistic detail, narrative energy, and moral meaning in images small enough for wide circulation, influencing generations of illustrators and printmakers.
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
680.1964.218
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
