Headpiece (page 65) from The Fables of Aesop
Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood engraving headpiece by Thomas Bewick that illustrates the fable “The Partridge and the Cocks,” intended to introduce the story and set its moral tone while showcasing the engraver’s narrative skill.
An oval vignette immediately catches the eye: glossy roosters clustered in a textured farmyard before cottages, rendered in razor‑fine lines and dense cross‑hatching that compress landscape and action into a theatrical miniature.
Bewick helped transform wood engraving into a vivid narrative tool for illustrated books, bringing naturalistic detail and expressive storytelling to small-scale prints and influencing later generations of printmakers.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8" (5.8 × 8 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.61
Palette
Exhibitions
