The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 23, 2025
The Dog and the Crocodile
1950
(American, 1919–2013)
Sheet: 30.5 x 22.7 cm (12 x 8 15/16 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1952.221
© Estate of Antonio Frasconi / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Location: Not on view
Description
Antonio Frasconi portrays a fable by ancient Roman author Phaedrus about the value of caution when enemies pose as friends: a dog avoids being eaten by a crocodile while drinking from the river in which the creature lives. The preparatory drawings show how Frasconi began by considering the animals, their personalities, and their relationship, while accommodating the rectangular composition of the woodblock on which he would carve his design. In the finished print, Frasconi used the texture of the wood grain to suggest the water’s ripples.- Fairy Tales and Fables: Illustration and Storytelling in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 4-September 8, 2024).The Print Club of Cleveland: Publication Prints 1924-1994. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 9-June 26, 1994).Antonio Frasconi. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 13, 1952-January 4, 1953).
- {{cite web|title=The Dog and the Crocodile|url=false|author=Antonio Frasconi|year=1950|access-date=23 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.221