Thenot Remonstrates with Colinet, Lightfoot in the Background, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"

The wood engraving Thenot Remonstrates with Colinet, Lightfoot in the Background, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" was created by William Blake in 1821. This piece is one of the celebrated illustrations Blake produced for Dr. Robert John Thornton’s third edition of the Pastorals of Virgil. These illustrations, rendered in the demanding medium of wood engraving, marked a pivotal point in Blake's career, defining his late style and profoundly influencing subsequent generations of British printmakers, particularly the group known as the Ancients. The specific impression held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art is cataloged as a second state of the plate.

The work captures a dramatic moment of poetic argument drawn directly from the classical text, depicting three principal men involved in a pastoral confrontation. The stout figure of Thenot confronts the melancholy, slumped figure of Colinet, while Lightfoot observes the interaction in the shallow background. The setting is deeply rooted in the imagery of rural life, emphasized by the presence of sheep resting or grazing nearby, aligning with the traditional symbolism of the pastoral genre. Blake’s deliberate use of a rough, unconventional style of engraving gives the small composition a powerful density, heightening the psychological tension between the figures.

Although initially criticized by Thornton’s conventional printers for their seemingly crude technique, these images are now considered among Blake's most innovative contributions to British prints. Blake challenged the prevailing smooth engraving style, leveraging the texture of the woodblock medium to achieve an expressive, rugged quality. This impression of Thenot Remonstrates with Colinet, Lightfoot in the Background is part of the distinguished collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, serving as a key example of early Romantic era illustration. As the artwork is within the public domain due to its age, reference copies of this seminal piece are widely accessible for scholarship.