DANTE TURNING FROM THE SHE-WOLF

Original 9 1/2 inch x 7 5/8 inch Engraving VIRGIL AND DANTE IN THE DARK WOOD OF SIN.

Dante wakes up in a dark wood. How he got there is a mystery and all his exits are blocked by wild animals, a leopard, a lion and a ravenous wolf. Terrified he falls to the ground, then out of the fog a ghost of a man approaches him. As Dante begs for mercy, the ghost introduces himself as the poet Virgil who offers to lead Dante out of the dark wood. Unfortunately the way out is through Hell. Having little choice, Dante follows Virgil, beginning his journey.

Text below the image: ”He, soon as he saw that I was weeping, answer’d.” Canto I., lines 87, 88.

Engraved by L. Dumont.

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.

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 the Inferno.

Published as a part work by Cassell and Company, Limited, London. May 1903 – September 1904.

Page size 13 1/4 inch x 10 inch

The engraving, on fairly thick paper, is in very good condition. Reverse side blank.