Fables, Vol. I & II
Medium
Illustrations: engraving
Dimensions
7 1/2 x 4 15/16 in. (19 x 12.5 cm)
Classification
Books
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.43.1
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of John Gay's *Fables, Vols. I & II*, a celebrated 18th-century collection of moral tales in verse published between 1729 and 1747. Authored by the English poet John Gay, famed for his satirical *The Beggar's Opera*, these fables draw on Aesop's tradition but infuse it with sharp social commentary on human folly, perfect for the Augustan Age's love of wit and moral instruction. This edition, produced by publishers Tonson and Watts, boasts exquisite engravings by a stellar roster of talents: painters like John Wootton and William Kent, alongside French Rococo engra...
About the Artist
John Gay|Tonson and Watts|John Wootton|Hubert François Gravelot|William Kent|Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin|Paul Fourdrinier|Bernard Baron (British|British) · 1685 |1757 –1732 |1827
British, Barnstaple, Devon 1685–1732|British, London 1757–1827 London