arts, ideas & societyThe Public Domain Review1321–present · Florence, Italy
Seven centuries of artists have tried to draw Dante's Divine Comedy, from medieval manuscripts to Doré
Dante Alighieri died in 1321, and his Divine Comedy has inspired illustrators ever since. The earliest dated illustration comes from Florence in 1337, and medieval manuscripts often passed through several hands, creating variations in style. Artists have returned repeatedly to the same scenes, such as Satan in the ninth circle of hell, the Eagle of Justice in Paradise, and Ugolino gnawing at the skull of his enemy. Gustave Doré's illustrations in the 1880s became hugely influential, and a scholar's estimate puts the number of Commedia-inspired artworks above 1,100. The poem's tight structure, with three sections of thirty-three cantos plus an introduction, has also inspired diagrams and maps.
Illustrators choose scenes that are visually strong, such as monsters, landscapes and dramatic moments, and then translate the poem's verbal imagery into images. Medieval manuscripts were often made by teams, which spread the conventions of representation from one artist to the next.
The long run of illustrations shows how Dante's vision shaped the way Western artists imagine hell, purgatory and paradise. It also shows how a poem can be reread through each generation's art.
Classic literary works have repeatedly been illustrated across centuries, from the Bible to Shakespeare, and each generation reinterprets them through the visual style of its own time.
Dante wrote the Divine Comedy in terza rima, a rhyme scheme of three-line stanzas.
Image: The Public Domain Review
