Tailpiece (page 326) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A tiny wood-engraved tailpiece by Thomas Bewick—a small vignette of a tilted cross on a mound—meant to punctuate the end of a fable and give a visual, moral emphasis to the page.
Set at the foot of the page, the minute image strikes with precise, economical lines and a quietly stippled sky, the lone cross tilting forward like a visual period that underlines the text’s final thought.
Bewick’s finely carved wood engravings helped make intimate, expressive images an integral part of mass‑produced books, influencing 19th‑century illustration and how readers experienced printed narratives.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition (irreg.): 5/8 × 1 7/16" (1.6 × 3.6 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.280
Palette
Exhibitions
