Headpiece (page 285) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A compact wood-engraved headpiece by Thomas Bewick that pictures the fox and the lion to introduce the fable and distill its moral for readers.
Set inside an oval vignette, the tiny scene arrests the eye with crisp, closely cross-hatched lines that make the lion’s imposing stance and the fox’s submissive posture readable at a glance against a quietly rendered wooded background.
Bewick’s economical, highly detailed wood engravings helped transform illustrated books in the early 19th century by bringing naturalistic observation and clear narrative images into mass-produced editions, shaping how readers imagined animals and moral tales.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/4" (5.7 × 8.2 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.245
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
