A series of selected stories from Aesop's Fables drawn onto a litho stone and printed onto Japanese Gampi tissue paper. 


I have been obsessed with fables from a young age as Grimm's fairy tales was one of the few books I had as a child, and always found the moral of the story to be an interesting way of having children behave. I wanted to take stories that did not have any illustrations and try to imagine what they could look like. As I worked with my two litho stones I realized that I liked the outline of the stone being present and it worked like a framing device. 


Stone Lithography.

The Raven and the Swan


A Raven saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan's splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their colour, while through want of food he perished.

Change of habit cannot alter nature.  

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The Raven and The Swan ×
The Raven and The Swan ×

The Bat and the Weasels


A Bat who fell upon the ground and was caught by a Weasel pleaded to be spared his life. The Weasel refused, saying that he was by nature the enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that he was not a bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free. Shortly afterwards the Bat again fell to the ground and was caught by another Weasel, whom he likewise entreated not to eat him. The Weasel said that he had a special hostility to mice. The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and thus a second time escaped.

It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.

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The Bat and The Weasels ×
The Bat and The Weasels ×

The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons


The Pigeons terrified by the appearance of a Kite, called upon the Hawk to defend them. He at once consented. When they had admitted him into the cote, they found that he made more havoc and slew a larger number of them in one day than the Kite could pounce upon in a whole year. 


Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.

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The Hawk, The Kite, and The Pigeons ×
The Hawk, The Kite, and The Pigeons ×

The Doe and the Lion 


A Doe hard pressed by hunters sought refuge in a cave belonging to a Lion. The Lion concealed himself on seeing her approach, but when she was safe within the cave, sprang upon her and tore her to pieces. "Woe is me," exclaimed the Doe, "who have escaped from man, only to throw myself into the mouth of a wild beast?'


In avoiding one evil, care must be taken not to fall into another.  

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The Doe and The Lion ×
The Doe and The Lion ×

The Fox and the Goat 


A Fox one day fell into a deep well and could find no means of escape. A Goat, overcome with thirst, came to the same well, and seeing the Fox, inquired if the water was good. Concealing his sad plight under a merry guise, the Fox indulged in a lavish praise of the water, saying it was excellent beyond measure, and encouraging him to descend. The Goat, mindful only of his thirst, thoughtlessly jumped down, but just as he drank, the Fox informed him of the difficulty they were both in and suggested a scheme for their common escape. "If," said he, "you will place your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head, I will run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards." The Goat readily assented and the Fox leaped upon his back. Steadying himself with the Goat's horns, he safely reached the mouth of the well and made off as fast as he could. When the Goat upbraided him for breaking his promise, he turned around and cried out, "You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down before you had inspected the way up, nor have exposed yourself to dangers from which you had no means of escape."


Look before you leap.

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The Fox and The Goat ×
The Fox and The Goat ×

The Crow and the Raven 


A Crow was jealous of the Raven, because he was considered a bird of good omen and always attracted the attention of men, who noted by his flight the good or evil course of future events. Seeing some travelers approaching, the Crow flew up into a tree, and perching herself on one of the branches, cawed as loudly as she could. The travelers turned towards the sound and wondered what it foreboded, when one of them said to his companion, "Let us proceed on our journey, my friend, for it is only the caw of a crow, and her cry, you know, is no omen." 


Those who assume a character which does not belong to them, only make themselves ridiculous.  

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The Crow and The Raven ×
The Crow and The Raven ×
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