Headpiece (page 59) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood engraving by Thomas Bewick made as a headpiece for The Fables of Aesop (1818), a compact pictorial introduction meant to dramatize the story of “The Boasting Traveller” on the page.
Seen up close the oval vignette reads like a tiny stage set—tightly incised lines and dense cross‑hatching model stone and cloth, while a boldly posed figure and the varied attitudes of his listeners create immediate movement and dramatic tension within the printed page.
Bewick helped establish wood engraving as a refined, reproducible art for books, bringing detailed, narrative illustration to wide audiences and influencing nineteenth‑century visual storytelling.
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
680.1964.55
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
