1989 The Wonderful World of Aesop's Fables: Classic Story Telling Traditions Brought to Life Through Video. Vcat Productions, Inc. Dolmatch Group, Ltd. Nine numbered packaged cassettes.
Though produced by Dolmatch, these videos – about fifteen minutes per story, with two stories on each tape – seem different from the Dolmatch tapes I had found previously from Golden Book Videos, produced in 1986. I tried the two videos on the first cassette. "The Lion and His Cub" becomes the more familiar fable about hunting a hare – and catching it – and then being distracted by hunting a stag. Not only does one not catch the stag, but the hare is no longer there when one returns. This version spends abundant time early establishing the lion's arrogance. The somewhat expansive time allowed the story leaves plenty of room for character development and repartee. "The Boy and the Eagle" is a story of a boy and his grandfather. The eagle steals grandpa's hat as a kind gesture in return for the grandfather's kind releasing of the eagle from a trap. I do not believe that I have seen these versions before. The graphics are simple.
1930? 7¼" white bowl from Sarreguemines, France. 1.5" deep. Inside the bowl there is a brown adaptation of Grandville's "The Wolf Pleading against the Fox." The front carries two inscriptions: "Fables de la Fontaine" and "8. Le Loup Plaidant contre le Renard." The back has the usual Digoin stamp. From an unknown source.
The two characters are again in an outdoor setting but still clearly a court trial. Each raises a paw pleading innocence before the monkey judge. Hats, vests, and trousers again humanize both. The monkey is smart enough to know that there is wrongdoing on both sides.
1930? 7" white plate from Sarreguemines, France. Inside a 1.5" rim there is a representation of Grandville's "The Wolf Pleading Against the Fox." The front carries two inscriptions: "Fables de la Fontaine" and "8. Le Loup Plaidant Contre le Renard." The back has a smudged partial stamp. $5 from pjhmah through Ebay, April, '04.
Each litigant has a raised hand as he makes a legal point. The judge rests both hands on the bench and peers through his spectacles.
1930? 7" white plate from Sarreguemines, France. Inside a 1.5" rim there is a representation of Grandville's WL. The front carries two inscriptions: "Fables de la Fontaine" and "4. Le Loup et l'Agneau." The back has a "Digoin" stamp.
The wolf makes a highly dramatic gesture of pointing to the lamb in accusation. Could it be true that in some instances the fourth plate in this series was not WL but rather "The Cat and the Monkey"?
1930? "Proverbes - Série de six sujets chromos. 4. La raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure." WL.
In style, this card seems like Liebig cards. Scrollwork on the upper left and far right reveals two different scenes of bullying by the stronger. Apparently the boy is making off with the girl's lunch. The verso features the text of La Fontaine's WL.
Le Loup et l'agneau Like the other plates, this presentation presumes that a viewer knows the standard story. Then the plate can present a surprise. The surprise here is that the lamb is waiting for the wolf with a big club behind his wolly little back.
1920? Hand-painted bowl 6¾" in diameter and 1¾" deep. Title "The Wolf and the Lamb" above the hand-painted colored illustration, and "When You Have Made Up Your Mind To Quarrel/It Is Easy To Find An Excuse" below. Gold trim around the outside edge of the top ring. Aesop's Fables Series. Royal Winton, Grimwades. Made in England. $25 from an unknown source, about 2005.
The depiction of WL is consistent with the depiction on other members of this Royal Winton series.
1920? Cup and saucer. Title "The Wolf & The Lamb." "When You Have Made Up Your Mind To Quarrel/It Is Easy To Find An Excuse" around the rim of the saucer. Similar hand-painted illustrations of lamb, river, and wolf on each. Gold trim around the handle and the edges of both cup and saucer. Evergreens (?), cones (?), and silver swirl patterns on the non-picture sides of both pieces. Aesop's Fables Series. Royal Winton, Grimwades. Made in England. $22 from Tamy Treso, Redvers, Saskatchewan, through Ebay, Feb., '00.
As with the two bowls, the strength here of Royal Winton lies in its lovely colors. The pastels in the river make it almost psychedelic! Both pieces have a golden "A" as an additional mark on the bottom. Click on the image for a larger version.
