Thenot and Colinet Lead Their Flocks Together, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"

Thenot and Colinet Lead Their Flocks Together, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" is a remarkable wood engraving created by William Blake in 1821. This tiny, yet monumental print is one of 17 commissioned by Dr. Robert John Thornton for his illustrated edition of the Roman poet Virgil’s classic texts, designed to bring a profound, mystical intensity to the pastoral tradition.

Blake's technique in this work is characterized by dramatic contrast. Using wood engraving rather than the softer etching he usually preferred, the artist employed dense black masses and delicate, flickering white lines to define the rugged landscape and the central figures. The composition focuses on the subject matter referenced in the title, showing the shepherds Thenot and Colinet leading their respective flocks of animals. The imagery also subtly incorporates female figures within the scene, emphasizing the communal relationship between men and women in the rustic setting, a core theme of the Pastorals.

The unconventional and deliberately rough execution of the prints was initially controversial but later proved profoundly influential, sparking a new direction in British printmaking among subsequent generations of Romantic artists, notably the followers known as the Ancients. Blake’s masterful use of light and shadow transforms the seemingly simple scene into a vision of symbolic gravity. This work is held in the extensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, standing as a primary example of Blake’s innovative graphic arts. As part of a highly referenced series, high-resolution prints of this seminal work are widely available through the public domain.