Illustrations to Dante’s Divine Comedy

William Blake (1757-1827) produced a set of seven engravings based on Dante's "Divine Comedy" between 1825-1827, distinct from his larger watercolor series produced at the same time. These engravings represent Blake's final major artistic project, commissioned by his friend, the artist John Linnell, but left unfinished at his death.

The seven engravings focus primarily on scenes from "Inferno," including the striking "The Circle of the Lustful" and "The Circle of the Corrupt Officials." In these works, Blake translated his visionary interpretation of Dante into the demanding medium of copper-plate engraving, his masterful linear technique fully expressing the spiritual drama of the text.

Unlike conventional illustrations of the era, Blake's engravings reimagine Dante's cosmology through his unique mythological perspective. His Hell appears as both physical and psychological landscape, with muscular figures arranged in dynamic, swirling compositions.

These engravings showcase Blake's distinctive line work—intricate, precise, yet pulsing with energy. Though few in number, they represent a profound visual dialogue between two visionaries separated by centuries, with Blake transforming Dante's medieval Catholic allegory through his own revolutionary spiritual perspective.

The eldest son of the founder of Sears, Roebuck & Company, Lessing J Rosenwald was one of the greatest benefactors of American museums in the 20th century. He was a founding donor to the National Gallery of Art when it opened in 1941, and his gift of 27,000 prints and drawings forms a cornerstone of the museum. Similarly, his collection of rare books tracing the history of printed text over six centuries remains one of the most significant donations ever made to the Library of Congress. The seven copper plates from which this set was printed formed part of his gift to the NGA upon his death in 1971.