1666 Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677), Hawk & Nightingale, Aesop, master engraving, classical art

Wenceslaus Hollar (Bohemian, Prague 1607–1677 London)

24.5 x 19.3 cm. Margins.

Published for a series of etchings published to illustrate Ogilby's Fables. It comes from from one of the finest illustrated books of the 17th-century, and this series represents the best of Hollar's work as an illustrator.

A nightingale, sitting aloft upon an oak and singing according to his wont, was seen by a Hawk who, being in need of food, swooped down and seized him. The Nightingale, about to lose his life, earnestly begged the Hawk to let him go, saying that he was not big enough to satisfy the hunger of a Hawk who, if he wanted food, ought to pursue the larger birds. The Hawk, interrupting him, said: “I should indeed have lost my senses if I should let go food ready in my hand, for the sake of pursuing birds which are not yet even within sight.”