(The Bear is Caught) illustration for "Reynard the Fox"

Fritz Eichenberg

Reynard the Fox, trickster, is an allagorical figure seen in German, Dutch, English and French parables. First mention of Reynard goes back to the Middle Ages, when stories centered around the exploits of the sly fox were first spread throughout the Lorraine region. Pictured here, he has found himself in a spot, and leaves Bruin the bear to deal with the fallout as he runs away. This woodengraving was made for an illustrated verion of Goethe's 1794 retelling of the fables.

In Six Decades of Prints by Fritz Eichenberg, Geno Baro wrote about Reynard the Fox, “Eichenberg has been a keen observer of animals, with a special feeling for their human characteristics. He was particularly pleased at a commission to produce twenty-five wood engravings for Goethe’s Reynard the Fox. This delightful poem deals with an abortive attempt of German and Austrian interests to bring the French Revolution to a stop and to restore the monarchy. Villanies abound. Eichenberg has brought the human comedy to life through his animal characters.”