Artwork
The fox watching the stork feeding from a narrow-necked jar
The fox watching the stork feeding from a narrow-necked jar is a watercolor work on paper by Beatrix Potter. It dates from 1919 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This watercolour illustration by Beatrix Potter depicts a scene from the fable 'The Fox and the Stork'. It was created as part of a planned book featuring a collection of Aesop's fables.
Subject & Meaning
The illustration shows a fox watching a stork feed from a narrow-necked jar, referencing the fable where the fox is outwitted by the stork after attempting to trick it.
History & Provenance
Potter revisited Aesop's fables in her work after 1918, having initially illustrated them in the 1890s. The illustration was likely created for a book project that was not ultimately published, as her publishers, Frederick Warne & Co., expressed reservations about the draft she submitted.
Artist & collection
Artist
Helen Beatrix Heelis (née Potter; 28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( BEE-ə-triks), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.
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