The Pastorals of Virgil

William Blake

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of four pastoral scenes stacked vertically, each depicting interactions in a natural setting with sheep and figures. The first scene shows two robed figures standing on either side of a tree with a sun setting behind rolling hills. The second scene features a reclining figure under a curving tree with a full moon and a spherical object in the night sky. The third panel displays a robed figure holding a shepherd's staff watching over a small flock of sheep, with a dynamic figure leaping in the background. The final scene mirrors the first, depicting two robed figures on either side of a bare, twisted tree, with two visible sheep. Each scene employs delicate, fine lines to form textured details of the landscape, figures, and animals.