2005 Two 2005 Mardi Gras dubloons showing Proteus with trident and, on the verso, a lion with a book "Fables Famous and Familiar." $2.50 twice from Patricia Albert, Metairie, LA, through Ebay, July, '19 and Feb., '20.
I look forward to catching up well enough that I do not repeat myself in the future!
A fourth group of twelve has elaborate printer's designs around the (identical) illustration and text. Each has these three signatures: Gouget Dir. Ex"; "N. PA. Xardo Sc."; and "LeMercier."
2020? Twelve 1¾” square thin wooden tiles representing each a page from Walter Crane’s book of Aesop’s fables. $10.72 from ShapeShifterUK, London, through Etsy, Jan., ’21.
Delightful, exact woodwork! I think Walter Crane would be delighted to see his work carried on this way! The twelve tiles include the front cover and list of illustrations.
1930? Packaged set of twelve reproductions of illustrations for Francesco del Tuppo in Naples, 1485. Victoria and Albert Museum. Numbered 33-44. $9.99 from Mike Marsland, Cheshire, England, through Ebay, Jan., '01. Multiple extra copies of all twelve cards from Charlie and Rich Heckroth, Tucson, AZ, through eBay, August, '10.
Under a black-and-white reproduction of the Tuppo original is a block-print title and then this uniform statement: "Reproduction of an illustration in the edition of Aesop's Fables Printed by German Printers for Francesco del Tuppo, at Naples, 1485." Just below, the picture-side lists the number of each card and "Victoria and Albert Museum." The verso is blank except for divisions into message and address compartments and instructions to use them as such. The envelope adds a price of one shilling. One can see here a good example of how lions looked in renditions of them done by artists who had never seen a lion! The following are included:
1915? Aesop's Fables Up To Date. Thirty unnumbered colored post cards, including English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Portugese printings. There are six basic 1915? Aesop's Fables Up To Date. Thirty unnumbered colored post cards, including English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Portugese printings. There are six basic pictures--or at least I have found that many so far. F. Sancha seems to sign each card. Fables are used here to satirize Germany. The fable texts on the message side appear in Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, or English on individual cards; any words printed on the image side shift correspondingly. English cards are all marked "Raphael Tuck and Sons' 'Oilette' Postcard No. 8484." Copyright London. Printed in England. Raphael Tuck and Sons. One set in English came in its own frail original envelope: "German Aims, Shown up by the Celebrated Spanish Artist Francisco Sancha in Aesop's Fables Up -to-Date." $66 from Sue's Stuff, Huntington Beach, CA, Nov., '02. Spanish versions of FG and GGE for a total of $15 from marupostcards in Uruguay through Ebay, Jan., '21. The envelope for this "Oilette" Series 8484 claims that Oilette cards are "veritable miniature oil paintings." Click on any of the small images to see a fuller version and comments on each card in its several language versions.
D1. "The Wolf and the Stork." In this parody of WC, A wolf dressed in a German officer's great coat with spurs and sword menaces a Turkish stork, who holds a bone in his hand. The card's own explanation is "It seems that Turkey, and the other friends of Germany, have to be content with very little gratitude for the help they have given." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplars for $11.25 from Carolyn Nimmer Dias through Ebay, March, '99, for $25 from Dick Lightle, April, '00, and for $4 from Betty Jette, Epsom, NH, through Ebay, July, '99.
F1. "The Hare and the Tortoise." In this parody of TH, a large helmeted turtle with a number of countries' names written on its back ("Japan, Belgium, England, France, Russia") arrives before a German-coated rabbit at a flag-festooned memorial labeled "Victory." While the Allied turtle has weapons galore on its back, the German rabbit has a few small satchels labeled "Lies," "Poison," and "Asphyxiating Gases." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplars for $11.25 from Carolyn Nimmer Dias through Ebay, March, '99; for $7.50 from Philip Weyland, Downey, CA, through Ebay, Nov., '01; and for $8 from Scott Zagoria, Arcata, CA, through Ebay, Sept., '01. Extra for $10 from Barbumer6, Jenkintown, PA, through eBay, March, '04.
C1. "The Tortoise and the Eagle." This parody of "The Eagle and the Turtle," is explained well by the card itself: "Bulgaria, having let herself be dragged into the war by Germany, will have to pay the penalty for her own rash ambition." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplar for $11.25 from Carolyn Nimmer Dias through Ebay, March, '99. Extra for $10 from Barbumer6, Jenkintown, PA, through eBay, March, '04.
B1. "The Hen That Laid the Golden Eggs." A man smoking a pipe and dressed in a Kaiser helmet has killed a goose labeled "German Commerce." The goose's innards are graphically displayed. Nearby is a basket of golden eggs labeled "1912," "1913," and (cracked) "1914." A safe full of coins is open in the background. Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplar for $10.45 from Philip Weyland, Downey, CA, through Ebay, Oct., '01.
A1. "The Fox and the Grapes." This parody of FG is explained well by the card itself: "The Germans, after their armies had vainly attempted to reach Paris, Calais, Petrograd, and Verdun, tried to pretend that these were not their objects." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplars for $11.25 from Carolyn Nimmer Dias through Ebay, March, '99, and for $4.95 from Philip Weyland, Downey, CA, through Ebay, Nov., '01. Extra for $10 from Barbumer6, Jenkintown, PA, through eBay, March, '04.
E1. "The Dog and the Shadow." A wooden dog in Kaiser helmet labeled "Made in Germany" drops a sausage labeled "Prosperity" into water, in which is reflected a sausage labeled "World Dominion." The card's own explanation: "Germany has lost the prosperity she had so laboriously acquired, in the vain endeavour to obtain the mastery of the world." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplars for $25 from Dick Lightle, Shawnee, KS, Sept., '99, and, in slightly poorer condition at Sacramento Paper Fair, Dec., '96. Extra for $10 from Barbumer6, Jenkintown, PA, through eBay, March, '04.
2004 Print of FK. #11 of 40. Provo, UT: Tryst Press. Feb. 18, 2004. Nov., ’06 from Vamp & Tramp Booksellers, Birmingham, AL.
Is that a handpainted design at the bottom of this lovely page? In any case, it is a very limited production! 9.6” x 12.7”. Exquisite printing work!
1950? Tru-Vue Viewer with nine story cards. Beaverton, OR: Tru-Vue Company.
I had written 22 years ago that I would be amazed if I ever found a Tru-Vue viewer with which to view the fable card I had found. That comment came, I believe, before Ebay. This year I thought to take a look and immediately found a number of viewers, this one even including nine other samples.
1990? French aluminum trivet portraying FC. 8" in diameter. 40 Francs from Nelly Skutecki, Monflanquin, France, through Ebay, Nov., '01.
Now, who would ever have thought that a fable would present the motif for a trivet?! I was surprised to see this "Dessous de plat alu" up for auction on Ebay, and very pleasantly surprised when I won it! There is even some nice detailing on the tree.
1995 Six fables en timbres: Timbres émis pour le tricentennaire de la mort de Jean de La Fontaine. La Poste. Claudine and Roland Sabatier. Paperbound. Paris: La Poste. $8.50 from John Plouffé, The Stamp Doctor, San Juan Capistrano, CA, through eBay, Dec., '06. Extra copy for $3 from Topical Paradise, April, 20.
Since this is a book that presents stamps, I am listing it in both places, but will place it among the books. This sixteen-page pamphlet seems to have been issued at the same time as the stamps commemorating the three hundredth anniversary of Jean de la Fontaine's death. Each of six pages contains a clever little transparent holder holding the appropriate stamp for one of six fables. On the same page as the stamp is La Fontaine's text. Facing the page is a full-page reproduction of the stamp itself. I scanned these pages for future use. Before these six pairs of pages presenting stamps and fables, there are three introductory pages. The first has a preface, surrounding which is the only original piece of art in the booklet, a three-sided frame presenting faces of the characters found on the stamps. The verso presents the first of two non-stamp "vignettes" issued with the stamps, namely a portrait of La Fontaine. One lovely feature of this portrait is that his neck-kerchief opens out to become the curtain of a small theater, with the town and country mice playing upon the stage. This page gives the basic dates and events of La Fontaine's life. Facing it is a "Sommaire" or T of C, accompanied by the second vignette, a list of the six fables presented on the stamps: GA, OF, WL, FC, "Le Chat, la Belette et le petit Lapin," and TH. The second-to-last fable has a longer text; its stamp-illustration is thus reduced to less than full-page size to accommodate the extra text. Illustrations and more on other materials issued along with the stamps can be found under "Stamps and Mail" here. The number of publications surrounding the issue of this stamp series is astounding!
2003 Tree and well platter featuring "The Horse and the Ass." 21". #472 of 1500. "The Signature Collection: "Aesop's Fables." Pattern introduced 1831. $88.99 from Elaine Esquivel through Ebay, Nov, '18.
One of the main values of our having this large and impressive piece is that we can show it rather than the original we have from 1831!
