Flaxman's Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

Since its creation at the beginning of the fourteenth century, Dante's Divine Comedy —a masterpiece of European literature—has moved legendary artists such as William Blake and Gustave Doré to illustrate the famed poem. John Flaxman, English sculptor, draughtsman, and renowned Wedgwood designer, was no exception. Commissioned at the end of the eighteenth century by famed art collector and author Thomas Hope, Flaxman's 110 illustrations of the Divine Comedy are known as his greatest achievement. Deceptively simple, awash in pathos, and recalling antique imagery in a classically Greek style, they themselves became an inspiration for such artists as Goya and Ingres, and were used as an academic source for nineteenth-century art students. This magnificent edition of Flaxman's Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy includes the complete series of drawings created by Flaxman for all 99 cantos of the literary masterwork. A glorious collection of lively outlines that captures the very spirit of Dante's poem, it is an essential addition to the bookshelves of art, literature, and history enthusiasts. Captions are included from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of the original text. Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Entering the Dark Wood; Virgil and Beatrice Meeting; Charon's Boat; Christ's Descent to Limbo; The Lovers Surprised; The Lovers Punished; Cerberus; The Region of Pluto; The Pool of Envy; The Furies; The Fiery Sepulchres; Tomb of Anastasius; Encounter with the Centaurs; Forest of Harpies; The Statue of Four Metals; Dante Discoursing with his Preceptor; The Rain of Fire; Geryon; Malebolge; The Gulf of Simony; Tiresias; Summit of Malebolge; The Bridge; The Lake of Pitch; Hypocrites; The Fiery Serpents; Cacus; The Flaming Gulph These 110 deceptively simple illustrations are the great achievement of English artist John Flaxman. Awash in pathos and recalling a classically Greek style, they have inspired such artists as Goya and Ingres.