Headpiece (page 269) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood engraving by Thomas Bewick used as a headpiece for “The Ant and the Fly,” designed to introduce the fable with a compact, mood-setting picture that complements the text.
A compact oval vignette immediately catches the eye—a rustic riverside scene of leaning trees, a stone bridge and a fortified tower—made vivid by Bewick’s crisp, closely cut lines and rich black-and-white textures.
Bewick’s finely detailed, economical wood engravings helped transform early-19th-century book illustration by showing how small-scale prints could convey atmosphere, natural observation, and narrative, influencing generations of illustrators and engravers.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/8" (5.7 × 8 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.235
Palette
Exhibitions
