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Headpiece (page 105) from The Fables of Aesop

Headpiece (page 105) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick
British, 1753–1828
1818
A small wood-engraved headpiece by Thomas Bewick illustrating “The Fox and the Ass,” made to give readers a vivid, moralizing picture to accompany the fable.
In a finely hatched oval vignette a donkey draped in a lion’s skin confronts a fox amid shadowed trees, the tiny scale and crisp black-and-white lines making the animals and the textured foliage feel remarkably immediate.
Bewick’s wood engravings transformed early-19th-century book illustration by pairing minute naturalistic detail with economical printing, setting a new standard for how stories and moral lessons were visually communicated to a broad reading public.
Medium
Wood engraving from an illustrated book with 323 wood engravings and one etching and engraving
Dimensions
composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/16" (5.8 × 8.1 cm); page (irreg.): 8 1/4 × 5 5/16" (21 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
680.1964.97
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
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Headpiece (page 71) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 71) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 71) 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 680.1964.66
Headpiece (page 261) from The Fables of Aesop 94%

Headpiece (page 261) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 261) 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 680.1964.229
Headpiece (page 255) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 255) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 255) 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 680.1964.224
Headpiece (page 103) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 103) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 103) from The Fables of Aesop 93% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.95
Headpiece (page 107) from The Fables of Aesop 93%

Headpiece (page 107) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 107) 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 680.1964.99
Headpiece (page 265) from The Fables of Aesop 92%

Headpiece (page 265) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 265) from The Fables of Aesop 92% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.232
Headpiece (page 215) from The Fables of Aesop 92%

Headpiece (page 215) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 215) from The Fables of Aesop 92% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.194
Headpiece (page 213) from The Fables of Aesop 92%

Headpiece (page 213) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 213) from The Fables of Aesop 92% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.192
Headpiece (page 109) from The Fables of Aesop 92%

Headpiece (page 109) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 109) from The Fables of Aesop 92% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/4... British 680.1964.101
Headpiece (page 49) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 49) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 49) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.47
Headpiece (page 65) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 65) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 65) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.61
Headpiece (page 191) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 191) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 191) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.173
Headpiece (page 111) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 111) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 111) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 3/16... British 680.1964.103
Headpiece (page 99) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 99) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 99) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/8"... British 680.1964.92
Headpiece (page 257) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 257) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 257) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.226
Headpiece (page 199) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 199) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 199) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.179
Headpiece (page 231) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 231) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 231) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.208
Headpiece (page 93) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 93) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 93) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 3/16... British 680.1964.88
Headpiece (page 295) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 295) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 295) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.253
Headpiece (page 211) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 211) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 211) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 3/16... British 680.1964.190
Headpiece (page 85) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 85) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 85) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.80
Headpiece (page 251) from The Fables of Aesop 91%

Headpiece (page 251) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 251) from The Fables of Aesop 91% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.222
Headpiece (page 309) from The Fables of Aesop 90%

Headpiece (page 309) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 309) from The Fables of Aesop 90% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.264
Headpiece (page 209) from The Fables of Aesop 90%

Headpiece (page 209) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 209) from The Fables of Aesop 90% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 3/16 × 3 1/4... British 680.1964.189
Headpiece (page 175) from The Fables of Aesop 90%

Headpiece (page 175) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 175) from The Fables of Aesop 90% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.162
Headpiece (page 233) from The Fables of Aesop 90%

Headpiece (page 233) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 233) from The Fables of Aesop 90% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 3/1... British 680.1964.209
Headpiece (page 69) from The Fables of Aesop 90%

Headpiece (page 69) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 69) from The Fables of Aesop 90% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 3/16... British 680.1964.64
Headpiece (page 225) from The Fables of Aesop 89%

Headpiece (page 225) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 225) from The Fables of Aesop 89% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/8"... British 680.1964.203
Headpiece (page 97) from The Fables of Aesop 89%

Headpiece (page 97) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 97) from The Fables of Aesop 89% 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 193) from The Fables of Aesop 89%

Headpiece (page 193) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 193) from The Fables of Aesop 89% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.174
Headpiece (page 55) from The Fables of Aesop 89%

Headpiece (page 55) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 55) from The Fables of Aesop 89% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 5/16 × 3 1/8... British 680.1964.52
Headpiece (page 311) from The Fables of Aesop 89%

Headpiece (page 311) from The Fables of Aesop

Thomas Bewick

1818

Headpiece (page 311) from The Fables of Aesop 89% Thomas Bewick 1818 Wood engraving from an illustrated bo... Illustrated Book Drawings & Prints composition: 2 1/4 × 3 1/8"... British 680.1964.266