Thenot and Colinet Eat their Evening Meal

The print Thenot and Colinet Eat their Evening Meal was executed by William Blake in 1821. This intimate yet powerful image is rendered as a wood engraving, a medium Blake embraced late in his career, demonstrating his experimental approach to graphic arts. The work is one of Blake's most celebrated small-scale illustrations, created for Dr. Robert John Thornton's third edition of Ambrose Philips's imitation of Virgil's first Eclogue.

The composition depicts the two shepherds, Thenot and Colinet, resting and consuming their simple fare amidst a rugged, intensely stylized pastoral setting. Characteristic of Blake's visionary style, the scene avoids naturalistic detail, opting instead for a highly textured, deeply spiritual landscape. Blake utilized the resistant nature of the wood block to create dense, vigorous hatching and stark tonal contrasts, giving the figures an almost sculptural quality and defining the contemplative, timeless mood of the scene. The small scale of the illustration belies the visual force and imaginative depth that Blake managed to extract from the demanding wood engraving technique.

Created during the period spanning 1801 to 1825, a crucial time in the development of British Romanticism, this piece reflects Blake’s profound engagement with classical literature filtered through his own unique mystical perspective. This specific series of illustrations proved highly influential for subsequent British printmakers and artists, solidifying Blake’s position as a master of both line and concept. As a vital example of the artist's late output, this remarkable piece resides within the esteemed prints collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it is preserved for scholarly appreciation and accessibility. As a historical work, the image is frequently available within public domain resources, allowing broader study of Blake's masterful execution in this exacting medium.