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Headpiece (page 73) from The Fables of Aesop

Headpiece (page 73) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood engraving headpiece by Thomas Bewick that illustrates the Aesop fable “The Thieves and the Cock,” made to condense and dramatize a key moment of the story for readers of the book.
An oval vignette framed by decorative corners catches the eye—two cloaked figures confront a struggling cock in a dim interior, rendered with tight cross-hatching and crisp linework that gives texture and shadow against the spare page.
Bewick’s economical, finely detailed wood engravings helped redefine early-19th-century book illustration by bringing naturalistic observation and expressive narrative into widely circulated, affordable volumes, influencing generations of illustrators and readers.
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
680.1964.68
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
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> 65%
Headpiece (page 151) from The Fables of Aesop 97%

Headpiece (page 151) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 151) from The Fables of Aesop 97% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.140
Headpiece (page 125) from The Fables of Aesop 96%

Headpiece (page 125) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 125) from The Fables of Aesop 96% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.115
Headpiece (page 137) from The Fables of Aesop 96%

Headpiece (page 137) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 137) from The Fables of Aesop 96% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.127
Headpiece (page 217) from The Fables of Aesop 96%

Headpiece (page 217) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 217) from The Fables of Aesop 96% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.196
Headpiece (page 113) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 113) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 113) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/8"... British 680.1964.105
Headpiece (page 117) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 117) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 117) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.108
Headpiece (page 203) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 203) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 203) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.183
Headpiece (page 159) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 159) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 159) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.148
Headpiece (page 169) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 169) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 169) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.157
Headpiece (page 51) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 51) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 51) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.48
Headpiece (page 97) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 97) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 97) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/4"... British 680.1964.91
Headpiece (page 223) from The Fables of Aesop 95%

Headpiece (page 223) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 223) from The Fables of Aesop 95% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.201
Headpiece (page 241) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 241) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 241) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 3/16... British 680.1964.214
Headpiece (page 157) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 157) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 157) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.146
Headpiece (page 119) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 119) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 119) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.110
Headpiece (page 149) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 149) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 149) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.138
Headpiece (page 219) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 219) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 219) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.198
Headpiece (page 201) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 201) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 201) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.181
Headpiece (page 155) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 155) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 155) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.144
Headpiece (page 195) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 195) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 195) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.176
Headpiece (page 77) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 77) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 77) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 3/16... British 680.1964.72
Headpiece (page 25) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 25) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 25) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.27
Headpiece (page 135) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 135) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 135) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.125
Headpiece (page 133) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 133) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 133) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.123
Headpiece (page 177) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 177) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 177) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.164
Headpiece (page 127) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 127) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 127) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.117
Headpiece (page 131) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 131) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 131) from The Fables of Aesop 94% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.121
Headpiece (page 91) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 91) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 91) from The Fables of Aesop 93% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.86
Headpiece (page 197) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 197) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 197) from The Fables of Aesop 93% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.177
Headpiece (page 35) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 35) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 35) from The Fables of Aesop 93% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.36
Headpiece (page 167) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 167) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 167) from The Fables of Aesop 93% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.155
Headpiece (page 121) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 121) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 121) from The Fables of Aesop 93% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/8"... British 680.1964.112