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Source Description
“The Wolf Turned Shepherd” is a fable in which a disguised wolf approaches a flock of sheep while their shepherd sleeps. The wolf is ultimately discovered while impersonating the shepherd, waking the flock’s caretaker with its howl. Gustave Doré’s early sketch focuses on the wolf’s piercing gaze, highlighting his cleverness and overconfidence. Doré was among the most successful and versatile illustrators of the mid-1800s, and his illustrations for <em>The Fables of La Fontaine—</em>to which the final version of this drawing belongs—contributed to his fame. First published in France in 1867, the book was soon reissued in other countries.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
133763
label
Sketch for "The Wolf Turned Shepherd" (recto)
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
133763
contentType
drawing
title
Sketch for "The Wolf Turned Shepherd" (recto)
description
“The Wolf Turned Shepherd” is a fable in which a disguised wolf approaches a flock of sheep while their shepherd sleeps. The wolf is ultimately discovered while impersonating the shepherd, waking the flock’s caretaker with its howl. Gustave Doré’s early sketch focuses on the wolf’s piercing gaze, highlighting his cleverness and overconfidence. Doré was among the most successful and versatile illustrators of the mid-1800s, and his illustrations for <em>The Fables of La Fontaine—</em>to which the final version of this drawing belongs—contributed to his fame. First published in France in 1867, the book was soon reissued in other countries.
date
c. 1868
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80026259
creators
13353
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 30.1 x 22.2 cm (11 7/8 x 8 3/4 in.)
cul
France, 19th century
accession
1956.37.a
Source extras
tec
graphite
tombstone
Sketch for "The Wolf Turned Shepherd" (recto), c. 1868. Gustave Doré (French, 1832–1883). Graphite; sheet: 30.1 x 22.2 cm (11 7/8 x 8 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Leo Weidenthal, 1956.37.a
supportMaterials
description
beige(1) wove paper
collection
DR - French
inscriptions
inscription
lower left, in graphite: 31/4 ; lower center, in brown ink: (No. 2) / "The wolf turned sheppard" / (LaFontaine) ; lower center, in graphite: No 84 [upside down] [84 underlined] ; lower right, in graphite: X
citations
citation
Montañés-lleras, Susana. “Of Technology and Fantasy: fairy tales, fables, and the transformation of illustration in the long 19th century.” <em>Gramarye : The Journal of the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy</em> 28 (Winter 2025): 51-65.
page_number
Reproduced p. 54, fig. 5, Mentioned: p. 59.
creditline
Gift of Leo Weidenthal
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:51:52.122000
sourceId
133763
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
graphite
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
20646dd78a90be15