Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy (1480-1500)
by Sandro BOTTICELLI

Botticelli often concerned himself during his lifetime with illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. He executed the drawings from the cycle illustrated here over a relatively long period of time, from about 1480 to 1500. The identification of these illustrations with the Dante cycle which Botticelli is known to have done for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, his great patron from the Medici family, seems not improbable.

For some reason unknown to us, the drawings were never completed. Only four of the surviving 93 sheets - nine having been lost in the course of time - are coloured, although this was presumably the original intention for all of them. The drawings are now in the collections of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin and the Vatican Library.

Dante wrote over 14.000 verses describing his visionary journey through the kingdoms of Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio) and Paradise (Paradiso). The epic is divided into 100 cantos: 34 for Hell and 33 each for Purgatory and Paradise. Dante is at first guided on his journey by the classical poet Virgil, but in Paradise he is led by his muse, Beatrice. During his journey Dante meets a large number of nameless people, and also famous personalities from the past and his own age. Every one of them has received the place he deserves as a result of the offences or merits of his life.

Preview Picture Data File Info Comment
Dante: Divina Commedia
1480s
Manuscript (Reg. lat. 1986), 320 x 470 mm
Biblioteca Apostolica, Vatican

1044*700
True Color
142 Kb



Dante: Divina Commedia
1480s
Manuscript (Ms. Hamilton 201), 320 x 470 mm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

1059*700
True Color
208 Kb



Inferno, Canto XVIII (detail)
1480s
Manuscript (Ms. Hamilton 201)
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

837*1009
True Color
158 Kb



Inferno, Canto XXXI
1480s
Silverpoint on parchment, completed in pen and ink, 320 x 470 mm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

1196*765
Grayscale
139 Kb



Inferno, Canto XXXIV (detail)
1480s
Silverpoint on parchment, completed in pen and ink
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

944*606
True Color
78 Kb



Dante: Divina Commedia
1480s
Manuscript (Reg. lat. 1986)
Biblioteca Apostolica, Vatican

683*1018
True Color
164 Kb



Dante: Divina Commedia
1480s
Manuscript (Reg. lat. 1986)
Biblioteca Apostolica, Vatican

1030*699
True Color
109 Kb



Purgatory X
1490s
Drawing on parchment, 320 x 470 mm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

1026*700
True Color
99 Kb



Paradise, Canto VI
1490s
Silverpoint on parchment, completed in pen and ink, 320 x 470 mm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

1030*695
Grayscale
85 Kb



Paradise, Canto XXX
1490s
Drawing on parchment, 320 x 470 mm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

1042*700
True Color
90 Kb




Summary of works by Botticelli
| early paintings | late paintings |
religious paintings | page 1 | page 2 |
| Cappella Sistina | San Barnaba | San Marco |
| allegories | Nastagio | scenic stories | portraits |
| drawings | illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy |