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Tuppo from V & A

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:

Click on any image to see it full-size.

33 The Two Dogs

34 TMCM

35 Lion and Shepherd

36 The Stag at the Pool

37 The Viper and the File

38 The Frog and the Bull

39 The Trees and the Axe

40 The Fox and the Boar

41 The Fox and the Crow

42 The Fox and the Stork

43 The Citizen and the Knight

44 The Bald Man and the Fly