Divine Comedy Illustrations
700 years after Dante Alighiere publishes The “Divine Comedy,” the Uffizi Gallary of FLorence, Italy makes rarely-seen illustrations of the poem available.
This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of Italian poet and philosopher, Dante Alighieri, author of Divine Comedy. A long narrative poem, built around an imaginative of afterlife imagery and representative of a western, medieval world view. It is considered one of the greatest works of world literature. In it, Dante draws on medieval Roman Catholic theology and philosophy. The poem is divided into three cantiche – Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.
Dante’s Inferno is the first part of the three-part poem, followed by "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso." Those entering "Inferno" for the first time may benefit from understanding that Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell is guided by the poet Virgil. In the beginning, a woman named Beatrice for Virgil to be brought in to guide Dante on his journey.
Did you know that Dante was particularly noticeable in the brutal power struggles of medieval Florence? At various times he had actually held high office, taken up arms, and was even double-crossed by Pope Boniface VIII. Dante eventually died in exile.
While penning the epic poem, the author deals harshly with those who sought profit and engineered his banishment.
In recognition of this seven-century milestone, the Uffizi Gallery is displaying a collection of rarely seen drawings by 16th-century Renaissance artist Frederico Zuccari, which illustrate scenes from Dante’s age-old chronicle.
“Until now these beautiful drawings have only been seen by a few scholars and displayed to the public only twice, and only in part,” says the Uffizi’s director, Eike Schmidt. “Now they are published in full, alongside a didactic-scientific comment, where from [January 1] they will be freely available.”
Frederico Zucarri's Illustration of Canto XXXI-XXXII from Dante's ‘Inferno' (Photo: Helvio ricina, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The illustrations of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” are now free for all to view online. To take a look at this free exhibit, simply visit the Uffizi Gallery website.
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