The Pastorals of Virgil 1821

This is William Blake’s edition of Virgil’s "Pastorals," a book of poems, and it shows Blake’s unique approach to bookmaking. What we see is not just the text, but the whole physical object. Blake was a master printmaker, favoring relief etching - a process by which he etched away the surface of a metal plate, leaving his design raised and ready for printing. This allowed him to combine text and image seamlessly, creating what he called "illuminated books". Consider the labor involved: each page carefully etched, printed, and then hand-colored. This was a deliberate move away from mass production, asserting the value of individual craftsmanship. In this way, Blake challenges the industrializing world of his time, suggesting that true beauty lies not in efficiency but in the labor and care poured into each unique creation. It blurs the boundary between art and craft.