Tailpiece (page 310) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A tiny wood-engraved tailpiece by Thomas Bewick that visually closes a fable, condensing the story's moral into a single, punchy vignette.
At the bottom of the page a miniature scene—meticulously hatched figures, a bemused horse, and a stable setting—pulls the eye with fine linework and an unexpected amount of narrative detail for its pocket-size scale.
Bewick's economical, naturalistic tailpieces helped redefine book illustration in the early 19th century by proving that wood engraving could add character, humor, and moral emphasis to texts while making images widely affordable.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition (irreg.): 1 5/16 × 1 7/8" (3.4 × 4.8 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.265
Palette
Exhibitions
