WILLIAM BLAKE
(1757-1827)
Blake had become acquainted with Dr. Thornton (1765-1832) through John Linnell in 1818, and began work on the series by September 1820.
However, Thornton was unhappy with Blake's originals and would have had them recut if it had not been for the intervention of Sir Thomas Lawrence, James Ward and Linnell amongst others. When they were finally published Thornton also published a disclaimer declaring that Blake's woodcuts display less of art than genius, and are much admired by some eminent painters.
Blake had intended them to be printed as four illustrations to a page, unfortunately they were also considered to be too large and were cut down in size by approximately 3/16 × 3/8 ins. The British Museum has proofs of the blocks at their original size, together with the original blocks.
Samuel PALMER described Blake's illustrations for The Pastorals of Virgil thus:
‘They are like all that wonderful artist's works, the drawing aside of the fleshly curtain, and the glimpse which all the most holy, studious saints and sages have enjoyed, that rest which remaineth to the people of God’.
Copyright © Trustees of Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford.
Extract taken from Prints, Cecil Higgins Art Gallery .