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A mythological scene in which bat-winged creatures attack figures in a landscape

At lower center left, a figure lies prone on his back in profile on the ground as a monstrous creature with bat wings and reptilian legs sits on his chest. Just beyond this is a crumbling brick wall on which we see the words “Hell Canto 18”. Past the wall is a steep hill, up which a line of seven naked figures is fleeing. Flying in from the right, three bat-winged creatures, one holding a sword, are descending upon the figures. Past the hill is a pale red lake, and enormous stone arches that loom in the distance.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.436
People
William Blake, British (London, England 1757 - 1827 London, England)
Title
Demons Tormenting the Panders and Seducers in Malebolge (from Dante's "Divinen Comedy")
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: Dante, "The Divine Comedy"
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1824-1827
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/297949

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Watercolor, black ink, graphite, and black chalk on off-white antique laid paper
Dimensions
37 x 52.3 cm (14 9/16 x 20 9/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: lc: HELL Canto 18

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Grenville Lindall Winthrop, New York, bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1943

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.436
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Agnes Mongan, "The Fogg Art Museum's Collection of Drawings", Harvard Library Bulletin, Harvard University (Cambridge, 1958), vol. 3, no. 2, March, pp. 5-9, p. 202
  • Martin Butlin, The Paintings and Drawings of William Blake, Yale University Press (New Haven, CT and London, England, 1981), no. 812 (32)
  • David Bindman, William Blake: The Divine Comedy/Die göttliche Komödie/La divine comédie, Bibliothèque de l'Image (Paris, 2000), pl. 34 (color)

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2220 18th-19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/08/2018 - 05/09/2018

Related Works

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu