The Book of Thel (frontispiece)

During the early part of his career, William Blake experimented with a number of techniques until he found a form of expression uniquely his own. The breakthrough came when he worked on one of his brother Robert's designs after his death in 1787. Blake conceived of the illuminated book combining the handwritten texts of his poems with illustrations into a single decorative unit on copper plate.

Blake began to etch "The Book of Thel," a composite work containing eight plates, in 1789, and completed the work approximately four years later. The book is a symbolic fairy tale describing Thel’s unsuccessful transition from innocence to experience. The frontispiece, shown here, depicts Thel as a shepherdess who watches the lovers among the flowers as well as a smaller version of herself responding fearfully to a man’s embrace.

According to Laurence Binyon, author of "The Engraved Designs of William Blake," the Art Museum’s copy of "The Book of Thel" is one of the best of the sixteen known copies. It is printed in a red-brown and is painted brilliantly in a wide range of watercolors.