What do you think?
Rate this book
LA Divina Comedia
The present volume reproduces with excellent clarity all 135 plates that Gustave Doré produced for The Inferno , Purgatory , and Paradise . From the depths of hell onto the mountain of purgatory and up to the empyrean realms of paradise, Doré's illustrations depict the passion and grandeur of Dante's masterpiece in such famous scenes as the embarkation of the souls into hell, Paolo and Francesca (4 plates), the forest of suicides, Thais the harlot, Bertram de Born holding his severed head aloft, Ugolino (4 plates), the emergence of Dante and Virgil from hell, the ascent up the mountain, the flight of the eagle, Arachne, the lustful sinners being purged in the seventh circle, the appearance of Beatrice, the planet Mercury and the first splendors of paradise, Christ on the cross, the stairway of Saturn, the final vision of the Queen of heaven, and many more.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1976
93 people are currently reading
3813 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
October 4, 2022
HOLY SHIT! This book is the perfect companion to anyone who is reading Dante's Commedia, and is struggling to picture Dante's world in their head.
Gustave Doré (1832–83) was perhaps the most successful illustrator of the 19th century. His "Doré Bible" was a treasured possession in countless middle-class homes, and his best-received works continued to appear throughout the years. His wood-engravings for Dante's Commedia constitute one of his most highly regarded efforts and were Doré's personal favorites.
The present volume reproduces with excellent clarity all 135 plates that Doré produced for Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. From the depths of Hell onto the Mountain of Purgatory and up to the Empyrean realms of Paradise, Doré's illustrations depict the passion and grandeur of Dante's masterpiece in such famous scenes as the embarkation of the souls for Hell, the forest of suicides, Thaïs the harlot, Bertram de Born holding his severed head aloft, Ugolino and his sons, the emergence of Dante and Virgil from Hell, the ascent up the Mountain, the flight of the eagle, Arachne (one of my faves illustrations!), the appearance of Beatrice, the procession in the Garden of Eden, the planet Mercury, and the first splendors of Paradise, Christ on the cross, the stairway of Saturn, the final vision of the Queen of Heaven, and many more.
Each plate is accompanied by appropriate lines from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of Dante's work. [A translation that I'm definitely interested in reading now. Well, not "now" but you know what I mean.] Not only are Doré's illustrations a joy to look at, they are also incredibly helpful when one wants to understand the architecture of Dante's Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Another thing that Doré made me realized are the severity and cruelty of the punishments. By looking at his illustrations, I got a clearer and more distressing feel of Hell and Purgatory in particular. Only reading Dante's words is no comparison to actually seeing the brutality and harshness of the world that he created.
Surprisingly, Doré's illustrations for Paradiso were my favorite. I loved that beginning with Inferno, which was mainly held in dark and blackish tones, we moved on to more dark grey tones in Purgatorio, and then finally emerged with light grey and white hues for Paradiso. The way he illustrated Dante's angels as these nebulous and heavenly figures that seem to melt with the sky is absolutely breathtaking. I could stare at his illustration of the Empyrean (shown above) for hours. It's so goddamn beautiful.
In general, his play with contrast, especially in regards to brightness and darkness, shadows and rays of light is superb and unmatched. It was a true delight to see the depth of landscapes and the nuances of all these different places that he was able to illustrate so effortlessly.
In case you're interested in more of his work, Doré also illustrated Cervantes' Don Quixote, Milton's Paradise Lost, Poe's The Raven, The Bible, and Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, among other things.
Gustave Doré (1832–83) was perhaps the most successful illustrator of the 19th century. His "Doré Bible" was a treasured possession in countless middle-class homes, and his best-received works continued to appear throughout the years. His wood-engravings for Dante's Commedia constitute one of his most highly regarded efforts and were Doré's personal favorites.
The present volume reproduces with excellent clarity all 135 plates that Doré produced for Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. From the depths of Hell onto the Mountain of Purgatory and up to the Empyrean realms of Paradise, Doré's illustrations depict the passion and grandeur of Dante's masterpiece in such famous scenes as the embarkation of the souls for Hell, the forest of suicides, Thaïs the harlot, Bertram de Born holding his severed head aloft, Ugolino and his sons, the emergence of Dante and Virgil from Hell, the ascent up the Mountain, the flight of the eagle, Arachne (one of my faves illustrations!), the appearance of Beatrice, the procession in the Garden of Eden, the planet Mercury, and the first splendors of Paradise, Christ on the cross, the stairway of Saturn, the final vision of the Queen of Heaven, and many more.
Each plate is accompanied by appropriate lines from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of Dante's work. [A translation that I'm definitely interested in reading now. Well, not "now" but you know what I mean.] Not only are Doré's illustrations a joy to look at, they are also incredibly helpful when one wants to understand the architecture of Dante's Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Another thing that Doré made me realized are the severity and cruelty of the punishments. By looking at his illustrations, I got a clearer and more distressing feel of Hell and Purgatory in particular. Only reading Dante's words is no comparison to actually seeing the brutality and harshness of the world that he created.
Surprisingly, Doré's illustrations for Paradiso were my favorite. I loved that beginning with Inferno, which was mainly held in dark and blackish tones, we moved on to more dark grey tones in Purgatorio, and then finally emerged with light grey and white hues for Paradiso. The way he illustrated Dante's angels as these nebulous and heavenly figures that seem to melt with the sky is absolutely breathtaking. I could stare at his illustration of the Empyrean (shown above) for hours. It's so goddamn beautiful.
In general, his play with contrast, especially in regards to brightness and darkness, shadows and rays of light is superb and unmatched. It was a true delight to see the depth of landscapes and the nuances of all these different places that he was able to illustrate so effortlessly.
In case you're interested in more of his work, Doré also illustrated Cervantes' Don Quixote, Milton's Paradise Lost, Poe's The Raven, The Bible, and Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, among other things.
June 6, 2024
Gustave Doré truly created masterpieces...
March 19, 2015
Publisher's Note
List of Plates
--The Doré Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy
List of Plates
--The Doré Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy
December 19, 2013
While I don't have much to say in this case since I am not an art critic I will simply comment that I am a huge fan of Dore's illustrations and I was extremely amazed when I first saw them. The illustrations capture so much of the essence of the poem that you would have thought that Dante personally commissioned Dore to draw these.
My personal favorite of these is the Celestial Rose (From Canto 31 of the Paradisio):
My first time using an image in my review.
My personal favorite of these is the Celestial Rose (From Canto 31 of the Paradisio):
My first time using an image in my review.
November 2, 2023
La découverte de la Comédie de Dante s’accompagne généralement via 2 grandes illustrations.
Celles de Botticelli, que j’ai découvert en même temps que le texte, et celles de Gustave Doré dont il est question ici.
L’authenticité appartient à Botticelli quand la beauté noire fidèlement retranscrite appartient à Doré.
Choisir de n’en découvrir qu’une et ne pas avoir la curiosité d’aller voir l’autre serait une erreur.
La fascination pour le patte de Doré (reconnaissable entre mille) est complète. C’est juste, noir, profond et saisit exactement la sens des textes.
Celles de Botticelli, que j’ai découvert en même temps que le texte, et celles de Gustave Doré dont il est question ici.
L’authenticité appartient à Botticelli quand la beauté noire fidèlement retranscrite appartient à Doré.
Choisir de n’en découvrir qu’une et ne pas avoir la curiosité d’aller voir l’autre serait une erreur.
La fascination pour le patte de Doré (reconnaissable entre mille) est complète. C’est juste, noir, profond et saisit exactement la sens des textes.
May 21, 2024
I am a big fan of Gustave Dore's art style. This book is Divine Comedy's perfect illustrated companion .His wood engraved art work is so beautiful and magical.
February 18, 2021
Una raccolta di disegni bellissima (ovviamente, direi), ma per dare il giusto effetto di stupore alle illustrazioni avrei allargato le figure a pagina intera, magari con le didascalie più piccole inserite nel basso della pagina o sul retro.
September 26, 2021
واقعن کاراش زیبا بودن!!
سخت،
عجیب،
یه سریاش خیلی دارک،
ولی بسیار زیبا و با جزییات و طبق توصیفات بودن!!
سخت،
عجیب،
یه سریاش خیلی دارک،
ولی بسیار زیبا و با جزییات و طبق توصیفات بودن!!
November 13, 2021
Sfogliare la Divina Commedia sotto forma di tavole illustrate da Gustave Doré è come sentirsi a casa. Un lavoro magistrale.
La stella in meno va al formato digitale, nel quale non si apprezzano a pieno i disegni.
La stella in meno va al formato digitale, nel quale non si apprezzano a pieno i disegni.
February 26, 2013
I don't think I could have made it through the Divine Comedy without having this book to, pun fully intended, illustrate many of the key moments and characters for me. Dore's illustrations are beautiful, revolting, intriguing and mezmerizing- you find new things in them every time you look through them, and if you're also currently reading the Divine Comedy, as I was when I purchased this book, they are arranged in the order in which they correspond to the text, making for a nice break when ploughing through the more tepid parts of the Paradiso and Purgatorio. Most certainly a nice item for a literary collector with an artistic eye, or vice-versa.
February 21, 2018
A resenha completa pode ser lida no Virtual Illusion em
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/...
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/...
April 13, 2020
*visible shock*
December 30, 2023
È stato davvero un lungo viaggio ma sono contenta di averlo fatto, per certi versi era anche una sfida con me stessa
October 22, 2023
Beautiful, haunting, worth your (few) bucks; a great companion to Dante’s ‘commedia’.
Read
May 21, 2014from the Publisher's Note:
"Dore first seriously entertained the idea of illustrating Dante's DIVINE COMEDY in a large folio edition in 1855. Although he could read no Italian, and probably relied on the French prose translation of Pier Angelo Fiorentino which later appeared with his illustrations along with the original Italian text, his study of the masterpiece was thorough. Work on the first section, the INFERNO, began in 1857. When he was finished, he found that no publisher was willing to undertake the work; it was generally held that so large a volume would have to be sold at a prohibitively high price. Undaunted, Dore published the plates and text at his own expense in 1861. The work immediately won extravagant praise. Dore, many contended, had supplanted Botticelli as the greatest illustrator of Dante. These illustrations remained Dore's personal favorites; he frequently went back to them as sources for paintings. In 1868 work on the PURGATORIO and PARADISO was finished, and the complete DIVINE COMEDY was published by L. Hachette et Cie, Paris."
"These illustrations mark a sharp contrast with Dore's earlier ones. In place of the grotesque and satirical, Dore, moving onto a grander plane, creates a weird, rather theatrical otherworldliness. Theophile Gautier commented on this atmosphere: 'What strikes us at first glance in Gustave Dore's illustrations for Dante are the surroundings in which the scenes that he draws take place and which have no relation to the appearance of the mundane world.'"
"Dore first seriously entertained the idea of illustrating Dante's DIVINE COMEDY in a large folio edition in 1855. Although he could read no Italian, and probably relied on the French prose translation of Pier Angelo Fiorentino which later appeared with his illustrations along with the original Italian text, his study of the masterpiece was thorough. Work on the first section, the INFERNO, began in 1857. When he was finished, he found that no publisher was willing to undertake the work; it was generally held that so large a volume would have to be sold at a prohibitively high price. Undaunted, Dore published the plates and text at his own expense in 1861. The work immediately won extravagant praise. Dore, many contended, had supplanted Botticelli as the greatest illustrator of Dante. These illustrations remained Dore's personal favorites; he frequently went back to them as sources for paintings. In 1868 work on the PURGATORIO and PARADISO was finished, and the complete DIVINE COMEDY was published by L. Hachette et Cie, Paris."
"These illustrations mark a sharp contrast with Dore's earlier ones. In place of the grotesque and satirical, Dore, moving onto a grander plane, creates a weird, rather theatrical otherworldliness. Theophile Gautier commented on this atmosphere: 'What strikes us at first glance in Gustave Dore's illustrations for Dante are the surroundings in which the scenes that he draws take place and which have no relation to the appearance of the mundane world.'"
April 12, 2010
I'm reading the book AND looking at these illustrations as I go. I've never read it, and I thought it was time to go to "hell" as it were!
July 22, 2015
Vivified Dante's poetry and imagination in ways the text(s) I read didn't. NOW, maybe, I can truly appreciate the sage of Florence...
June 2, 2018
The Dore woodblocks are exquisitely detailed and simply stunning. These works definitely make an impression.
December 24, 2017
Batushka beautifully complements Doré’s cadaveric illustrations.
May 28, 2020
Capolavoro
April 15, 2021
Dit is een heel mooi boek maar wel alleen als aanvulling op Dante’s goddelijke komedie.
November 2, 2022
Doré brings Dante to life with his otherworldly depictions of the Comedia. Wonderful, masterful, enrapturing, Doré helps readers of Dante become further submerged in Dante's worlds. An absolute must.
March 21, 2023
Meraviglioso. Necessario.
January 5, 2023
Добро јутро свима осим људима који су рођени да имају и љубав према књизи и вјештину у сликању - какав је осјећај бити божији фаворит?
Никад ми недостатак сликарског талента није тако тешко пао као у тренутку када сам читала Божанствену комедију. Свака строфа као да је створена са намјером да једног дана буде пренесена на платно. При првом сусрету са Дантеовим животним дјелом нисам имала ту привилегију да ме на читалачком путу прати већ осмишљена слика његовог свијета (нити сам то схватала као привилегију у том тренутку). Тек неколико година након што сам дјело оставила иза себе наилазим на нешто генијално – Густав Доре je издвојио интригантне и памтљиве дијелове Дантеовог свијета и приказао их кроз 136 илустрација. Није имао другу намјеру осим да свом одушевљењу Божанственом комедијом, које је лебдјело као апстракција у његовој глави, да коначан облик на папиру. Та одлука имала је непланирано широк одјек, што нам данас допушта да у Дантеовој креацији уживамо кроз два медија – књижевност и сликарство.
Ако сте заиста ентузијасте Дантеовог рада, ова збирка илустрација биће вам најбољи пријатељ и идеални сапутник. Допустите јој да буде ваш Вергилије на путу кроз Мрачну шуму.
Никад ми недостатак сликарског талента није тако тешко пао као у тренутку када сам читала Божанствену комедију. Свака строфа као да је створена са намјером да једног дана буде пренесена на платно. При првом сусрету са Дантеовим животним дјелом нисам имала ту привилегију да ме на читалачком путу прати већ осмишљена слика његовог свијета (нити сам то схватала као привилегију у том тренутку). Тек неколико година након што сам дјело оставила иза себе наилазим на нешто генијално – Густав Доре je издвојио интригантне и памтљиве дијелове Дантеовог свијета и приказао их кроз 136 илустрација. Није имао другу намјеру осим да свом одушевљењу Божанственом комедијом, које је лебдјело као апстракција у његовој глави, да коначан облик на папиру. Та одлука имала је непланирано широк одјек, што нам данас допушта да у Дантеовој креацији уживамо кроз два медија – књижевност и сликарство.
Ако сте заиста ентузијасте Дантеовог рада, ова збирка илустрација биће вам најбољи пријатељ и идеални сапутник. Допустите јој да буде ваш Вергилије на путу кроз Мрачну шуму.
June 17, 2013
I'm only familiar with scenes from the Inferno, I haven't gotten around to reading Purgatorio or Paradiso. The Inferno plates helped my understanding of some scenes. Doré's imagination elucidates the creatures of the Divine Comedy, at least as far as the medium can take us.
A plate of interest is the one exhibited on the cover and page 58, with men tearing themselves open and one (Bertram de Born) holding his head like a lantern. Click here to see it. There's one severed arm clinging to Dante's robe, showing that he's not completely or compassionately detached from the scene.
The most macabre and interesting plates are in the Purgatorio. I've always been fascinated with the myth of Arachne. One of the many renditions of the story goes that Arachne bragged of her skill at the loom. Athena challenged her to a weaving duel of sorts. Arachne chose as the subject of her tapestry the fornication of the gods, so Athena turned her into a half-spider. Click here to see it. Doré's depiction (p94) of Arachne features mammalian legs (I doubt he'd ever seen a spider up close, nor would readers recognize segmented insect legs if they saw them) but the languishing nudity of the image is remarkable. A few pages later (p105) we have the Gluttons, a stark group of emaciated men with cavernous eyes.
The plates show a progression of dark to light. The Inferno plates show a brilliant emphasis on pitch dark with heavily inked areas, while the Purgatorio use halftone grays, and of course Paradiso uses whites and nearly transparent inkless areas of the plate. Art-wise the Paradiso to me is boring, though plates like The Empyrean on page 134 show a marked resemblance to Buddha's aura.
A plate of interest is the one exhibited on the cover and page 58, with men tearing themselves open and one (Bertram de Born) holding his head like a lantern. Click here to see it. There's one severed arm clinging to Dante's robe, showing that he's not completely or compassionately detached from the scene.
The most macabre and interesting plates are in the Purgatorio. I've always been fascinated with the myth of Arachne. One of the many renditions of the story goes that Arachne bragged of her skill at the loom. Athena challenged her to a weaving duel of sorts. Arachne chose as the subject of her tapestry the fornication of the gods, so Athena turned her into a half-spider. Click here to see it. Doré's depiction (p94) of Arachne features mammalian legs (I doubt he'd ever seen a spider up close, nor would readers recognize segmented insect legs if they saw them) but the languishing nudity of the image is remarkable. A few pages later (p105) we have the Gluttons, a stark group of emaciated men with cavernous eyes.
The plates show a progression of dark to light. The Inferno plates show a brilliant emphasis on pitch dark with heavily inked areas, while the Purgatorio use halftone grays, and of course Paradiso uses whites and nearly transparent inkless areas of the plate. Art-wise the Paradiso to me is boring, though plates like The Empyrean on page 134 show a marked resemblance to Buddha's aura.
September 18, 2016
Не харесвам особено "Ад", а и преводът на Константин Величков не е особено четивен, но пък илюстрациите са невероятни.
March 19, 2008
Beautiful.
May 15, 2025
A set of illustrations can be a great enhancement to Dante. His monumental work is full of inventive visuals, but many of them are mentioned so casually - among the sometimes quite tedious life stories of the souls under judgement - that it would be easy not to take them all in.
Like most people, the C19th French illustrator seems interested mainly in Hell, and over half his illustrations are of the first part of the poem. This is a fault; but it is a much more serious fault that he makes Purgatory, and the souls in it, as gloomy and miserable as hell itself. This is not at all the character of the second part, which is totally different from hell: the souls suffer but they are content, and sing as they go, because they accept their 'purging' as necessary and know that they are saved.
Less than a quarter of the pics are of the third part, Heaven. In these there is an unearthly and mysterious, but frigid, light; heaven looks cold, physically and emotionally. The picture of the Empyrean is an impressive piece of work, the spiralling choirs of angels drawing your eye in to the divine light in the centre - you can almost hear their singing. But overall the book is joyless and depressing in a way that Dante is absolutely not.
Like most people, the C19th French illustrator seems interested mainly in Hell, and over half his illustrations are of the first part of the poem. This is a fault; but it is a much more serious fault that he makes Purgatory, and the souls in it, as gloomy and miserable as hell itself. This is not at all the character of the second part, which is totally different from hell: the souls suffer but they are content, and sing as they go, because they accept their 'purging' as necessary and know that they are saved.
Less than a quarter of the pics are of the third part, Heaven. In these there is an unearthly and mysterious, but frigid, light; heaven looks cold, physically and emotionally. The picture of the Empyrean is an impressive piece of work, the spiralling choirs of angels drawing your eye in to the divine light in the centre - you can almost hear their singing. But overall the book is joyless and depressing in a way that Dante is absolutely not.
November 30, 2025
"O amor é o princípio de todas as virtudes e de todos os vícios. "
Virgílio
A Divina Comédia é um poema épico e teológico de Dante Aligheri, escrito no século XIV. Um clássico da literatura universal, dividido em três partes: Inferno, Purgatório e Paraíso.
O narrador em primeira pessoa, Dante, percorre os três reinos do além sempre acompanhado pelo poeta Virgílio, a humana sabedoria, e Beatriz, a divina sabedoria. Uma jornada epopeica, na qual ele encontra personagens históricos e mitológicos, com suas agruras, dores e arrependimentos.
A linguagem é metafórica e muito difícil de entender. Confesso que tive muita dificuldade em enterpretar o texto, os símbolos e muitos personagens que não conhecia, posto que não tenho, a rigor, um repertório teológico e político para tal.
Uma obra atemporal que atravessou séculos e precisa ser apreciada.
Eu sou Cecilia Lorca, professora aposentada e escritora apaixonada!
Virgílio
A Divina Comédia é um poema épico e teológico de Dante Aligheri, escrito no século XIV. Um clássico da literatura universal, dividido em três partes: Inferno, Purgatório e Paraíso.
O narrador em primeira pessoa, Dante, percorre os três reinos do além sempre acompanhado pelo poeta Virgílio, a humana sabedoria, e Beatriz, a divina sabedoria. Uma jornada epopeica, na qual ele encontra personagens históricos e mitológicos, com suas agruras, dores e arrependimentos.
A linguagem é metafórica e muito difícil de entender. Confesso que tive muita dificuldade em enterpretar o texto, os símbolos e muitos personagens que não conhecia, posto que não tenho, a rigor, um repertório teológico e político para tal.
Uma obra atemporal que atravessou séculos e precisa ser apreciada.
Eu sou Cecilia Lorca, professora aposentada e escritora apaixonada!
November 6, 2023
As I have been busy reading The Divine Comedy of Dante (along with the Cliffs Notes for the volumes), I decided to purchase this book. I am glad I did so, as Doré did a wonderful job with these illustrations.
Gustave Doré (died 1883) was arguably one of the most successful illustrators of the nineteenth century. In 1866 and 1867 he did the plates for The Divine Comedy, and this volume contains all one hundred and thirty-five plates. Each plate notes the section of the Comedy that is illustrated, and each plate has a description of the scene from the 1867 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of the Comedy.
I very much enjoyed perusing this book, and am happy to have it on my bookshelves.
Gustave Doré (died 1883) was arguably one of the most successful illustrators of the nineteenth century. In 1866 and 1867 he did the plates for The Divine Comedy, and this volume contains all one hundred and thirty-five plates. Each plate notes the section of the Comedy that is illustrated, and each plate has a description of the scene from the 1867 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of the Comedy.
I very much enjoyed perusing this book, and am happy to have it on my bookshelves.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews