For seven hundred years, the life and works of Dante Alighieri have had an extraordinary impact on Art History.
Though the great man himself spent much of his own life in exile (and, later, living under a death sentence) for his political stances - by the late 1300s, he had already been adopted as almost an unofficial saint of Renaissance Florence.
And from then on, his life would become the subject of countless biographical paintings - while his masterpiece “The Divine Comedy” would become a source of endless inspiration for some of the greatest artists of all time.
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So, in today’s special edition newsletter - I wanted to curate a little exhibition for you all; bringing together a collection of artworks inspired by Dante’s life and writings.
Needless to say, we will not be able to cover each painting in full detail. But still, I hope it will take us on our own little journey together through a broad range of artists and genres.
If you are a fan of Dante, no doubt you will recognise some of the scenes depicted - but rest assured, these paintings can still be appreciated for their striking beauty and narrative offerings even if you have never read a word from the great man before!
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Now, without further ado . . . let’s start our little tour together.
1. Sandro Botticelli - Portrait of Dante Alighieri
Painted in 1495, this striking profile is probably the most iconic portrait we have of the great man. Though, of course, it is worth mentioning that Botticelli was painting more than 150 years after Dante’s death - thus, while this painting has since helped to make the poet instantly recognisable . . . we may never know if it actually captured Dante’s true likeness or not.
Note: See below, two of the earliest known depictions of Dante. (Both of which were still painted after Dante’s death on 1321)
Left: from a fresco in the Palazzo dei Giudici, Florence (Dated 1375)
Right: from the chapel of the Bargello palace, Florence. Attributed to Giotto (Dated 1335)
2. Domenico di Michelino - Comedy Illuminating Florence (1465)
Located on the north wall of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence.
Dante is seen here as presenting us with his Divine Comedy Manuscript.
While, in the background, there is a kind of triptych landscape including “Inferno” to the left, “Purgatorio” and “Paradiso” in the tower at the centre, and the poet’s home city of Florence to the right.
3. Sandro Botticelli - Map of Inferno
From an unfinished series of Illustrations Botticelli created for the Divine Comedy in the late 1400s.
4. Bronzino - Dante gazing at Mount Purgatory - (Late 16th Century)
You will notice that Dante is recognisable in almost all depictions of him due to that famous red cap and tunic.
5. Eugene Delacroix - The Barque of Dante (1822)
Depicting a scene from “Inferno” - where Dante and his guide Virgil are crossing the River Styx.
Delacroix told his friend Charles Soulier that he worked non stop for more than two months on this painting - and, on completion, was so exhausted by the intense effort, he needed a month of recuperation just to regain his strength again.
6. William Blake - Illustrations (1826 - 1827)
Though best known as a poet in his own right - William Blake was also a visionary artist. And towards the end of his life, was given a commission to provide illustrations for a new translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Sadly, Blake died while the project was still unfinished
7. Antonio Cotti - Dante in Verona (1879)
Depicting a period of Dante’s own life, where he spent 7 years in Verona as part of his long exile from his home city of Florence.
Notice how the local people are wary of this “exile” walking amongst them . . . yet, also strangely captivated by his presence too, due to his renown for being a man of great learning.
8. Henry Holiday - Dante and Beatrice (1882)
Beatrice was the great lost love of Dante’s life - inspiration for his “La Vita Nuova”, and later cast as a central character in the Divine Comedy, helping him through purgatory and towards Paradise.
9. Portrait of Dante - Henry Holiday (1875)
Alongside Botticelli work at the start of this article - this pencil and watercolour portrait is one of the most beautiful depictions we have of the great man.
Based on the poet’s “death mask” - which can still be seen at Pallazzo Vecchio in Florence (though scholars still debate as to its authenticity)
Here, Dante is seen not holding his Divine Comedy - but rather, the Vita Nuova; another of his poetic masterpieces.
10. Gustave Doré - Illustration to Paradiso (1880)
Doré was renowned for his engravings and illustrations of classic literature - but his work providing full illustrations to the Divine Comedy were a real triumph in his career.
And this piece - showing Dante’s entry into Paradise in the final pages of his Divine Comedy - felt like a particularly fitting end to our little exhibition today.
All support is greatly appreciated, and will be vital for allowing me to keep publishing on here.
For the month of September, Art Every Day is proud to partner with JC Gallery - the leading dealers in American Modernism.
I'll be restacking this as a beautiful example of the many people here on Substack pouring out their knowledge and love of a subject and sharing that with all of us here. Thanks for your generosity George! 👏
George, great job. It makes perfect sense to organize Art Every Day by painter, but I think it is good to take a break once in a while, like today, and organize by topic. "Dante" was a great idea. Keep up the good work!