The Circle of the Thieves; Buoso Donati Attacked by the Serpent
Original title: The Circle of the Thieves; Buoso Donati Attacked by the Serpent
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1825–27 William Blake made this engraving of an episode from Dante's Inferno: Buoso Donati, harried by a serpent. The plate belongs to a series of illustrations for the Divine Comedy and measures 23.7 x 33.7 cm.
Description
Four figures and a dragon occupy a dim, cloud-covered setting. At the left a clothed figure with raised hands stands beside a naked one with folded arms. Two more unclothed people appear on the right, one of them warding something off. In front a dragon lies ready to strike; the diffuse light picks out the outlines of the bodies.
Context
Blake began this series of illustrations to Dante's Divine Comedy in his last years. It was never finished, and only seven engravings were completed. The source is the twenty-fifth canto of the Inferno, where thieves are tormented by snakes.
Impact
The black-and-white print carries a menacing, dramatic mood and makes the suffering of the damned vivid. Clear contours and soft light draw the eye to the figures and the dragon, giving the image an insistent, almost visionary force.
Technique
Executed in line engraving, Blake's precise drawing records the details of the figures and the dragon exactly. The monochrome scheme suits the medium of printmaking and deepens the sombre tone of the subject.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)