The Fox and the Stork
The Fox and the Stork, also known as The Fox and the Crane, is one of
The fable and its uses
A fox invites a stork to eat with him and provides soup in a bowl, which the fox can lap up easily; however, the stork cannot drink it with its beak. The stork then invites the fox to a meal, which is served in a narrow-necked vessel. It is easy for the stork to access but impossible for the fox. The moral drawn is that the trickster must expect trickery in return and that the
The fable has been illustrated since the Middle Ages in Europe. One of the earliest depictions is on the top of a column on the north side of the cloisters in the Collegiate church of Saint Ursus in Aosta, Italy. In the Romanesque style of the 12th century, both the fox's[2] and the stork's[3] tricks are shown on different sides. While medieval and early Renaissance pictorial convention allowed composite designs the episodes of the two meals both appeared in the same design. Thereafter, only one could appear, and it was usually the stork's revenge that was depicted. However, since the 19th century some artists have been returning to composite designs.[4]
One exception in the applied arts occurred when both episodes were included among the 39 hydraulic statues built for the
The story's popularity was further assured after it appeared in
In the 20th century, Le Renard et la Cigogne figured in the series of medals illustrating La Fontaine's fables cast by Jean Vernon (1940)[19] and Marc Chagall made it Plate 9 in his etchings of them (1952).[20] Among European musical settings was one by Louis Lacombe (op. 72, 1875). Later it appeared as the first piece in Andre Asriel's 6 Fabeln nach Aesop (1972).[21] In 1995 it was among the seven in Catalan translation that the composer Xavier Benguerel i Godó set for recitation with orchestral accompaniment.[22]
The fable has also appeared on postage stamps illustrating La Fontaine's fables. These include in the 11 franc commemorative set of 1977 from Burundi;[23] the 35 franc stamp issued by Dahomey in 1972,[24] later overprinted as a 50 franc value for Benin;[25] the 170 forint stamp issued as part of a set by Hungary in 1960;[26] and a 1972 Monaco commemoration of the 350th anniversary of the fabulist's birth.[27]
References
- ^ "Mythfolklore.net". Mythfolklore.net. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ Wikimedia
- ^ Wikimedia
- ^ See Laura Gibb's collection of book illustrations
- ^ Bibliothèque nationale de France scan of Charles Perrault's description of the Labyrinth
- ^ Champagne Fay site
- ^ English translation
- ^ Creighton University website
- ^ Harmonie du Logis
- ^ "Examples in the collection of the Victorian & Albert Museum". Collections.vam.ac.uk. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ "Culture.gouv.fr". Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ Wikimedia
- ^ Česky. "Wikigalery.org". Wikigallery.org. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ "Art-prints-on-demand.com". Art-prints-on-demand.com. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ "Flickr.com". Flickr.com. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ "Culture.gouv.fr". Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ Artnet
- ^ "Klimgallery.org". Klimtgallery.org. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ "V Coins". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
- ^ "Contemporary Art Holdings". Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
- ^ There is a performance on You Tube
- ^ "Available on YouTube". Videosurf.com. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ Creighton University
- ^ Stamp Community,
- ^ Free stamp catalogue
- ^ "Creighton.edu". Creighton.edu. 1 December 1960. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ "Creighton.edu". Creighton.edu. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
External links
Media related to The fox and the stork at Wikimedia Commons
- 15th–20th century book illustrations online