BURDEN OF PRIDE
£45.00
Original 9 3/4 inch x 7 3/4 inch Engraving titled THE BURDEN OF PRIDE.
”On an open and level space extending round the Mount of Purgatory, Dante sees a number of spirits labouring under the weight of heavy stones. They are the souls of those who have been guilty of pride, and are now expiating that sin. The gigantic figures on the side of the rock are sculptures representing various instances of pride recorded in history and fable.”
Illustration by Gustave Doré (1832 – 1883). The most popular and successful French book illustrator of the middle of the 19th century. Doré became widely known for his illustrations to such books as Danté’s Inferno (1861), Don Quixote (1862), and the Bible (1866), and he helped to give European currency to the illustrated book of large format. He was so prolific that at one time he employed more than forty wood engravers. His work is characterized by an eclectic mix of Michelangelesque nudes, northern traditions of sublime landscape, and a highly spirited love of the grotesque and bizarre.
Doré began work on his illustrations for the Divine Comedy in 1855 at a time when there was a renewed interest in Dante in France. Doré himself financed the publication of the Inferno in 1861 and this was so successful that the Purgatory and Paradise were published by Hachette in 1868 as a single volume. Subsequently, Doré’s Dante illustrations appeared in roughly 200 editions in many languages.
Engraved by Antoine Valérie Bertrand. Antoine Valérie Bertrand was a pupil of Henry Brown and later Henry Harrison. He exhibited regularly in Paris from 1864 to 1879. In the salon of 1874 he showed the wood engravings: Bulgarian Peasants and Jats Peasants of Northern Malwa. He worked for several periodicals including Le Magasin pittoresque and Le Tour du Monde, and engraved the figures.
Illustration for Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy” widely considered to be the preeminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. This illustration is from Paradiso.
This edition from Cassell’s ‘Doré Gallery’ published in 1885.
Page size 12 1/4 inch x 9 1/8 inch
The engraving is in very good condition. Reverse side blank.
Out of stock
