The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 20, 2024
The Pastorals of Virgil, Eclogue I: The Shepherd Chases away a Wolf
1821
(British, 1757–1827)
Image: 3.5 x 7.4 cm (1 3/8 x 2 15/16 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1934.146
Catalogue raisonné: Bindman 608; Binyon143; Russell 30.7
Location: not on view
Description
William Blake conceived and engraved 17 designs for Dr. Robert John Thornton’s The Pastorals of Virgil, a popular schoolbook used in teaching Latin. The publication included translations of poems by ancient Roman author Virgil that focus on a rural setting as both a subject matter and as the background for discussions of various issues, from love to politics. Blake’s illustrations reveal his emphasis on the natural world. As his only wood engravings, they also show how the process entails cutting away from the woodblock to create lighter sections, in essence working in white over a black background. Here, several areas—such as the textures of the trees—emphasize that point.- Nature Sublime: Landscapes from the 19th Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 15-November 14, 2004).Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).The Birth and Flowering of British Romantic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 1-July 22, 1990).Two Hundred Years of British Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 9, 1984-February 3, 1985).Recent Accessions of Prints, 1933-34. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 20-March 13, 1935).
- {{cite web|title=The Pastorals of Virgil, Eclogue I: The Shepherd Chases away a Wolf|url=false|author=William Blake|year=1821|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1934.146