The Circle of the Lustful: Paolo and Francesca

1827

William Blake

Associated Names
William Blake

Artist, British, 1757 - 1827

This is an engraved plate. The plate itself is dark red, and the lines on it are gray. At the bottom of the plate appears to be a river filled with people twisting and turning in the water. On the right, the river appears to float upward and loop around itself, ending in the top right corner. In the center is a stretch of ground that reaches to the left edge of the plate. On the ground, a person stands, looking down at another person that lays on the ground below them. Both people wear robes and appear to have long hair. Above the person who lays on the ground seems to be another large wave of water that carries two people upward inside it, a man and a woman with their arms outstretched towards each other. In the sky on the left is a large round sun-like shape near that emits rays of light. In the sun are the outlines of two intertwined people who appear to be kissing.

Media Options

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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1957

  • The Art of William Blake, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1957, no. 94.

1965

  • William Blake, Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1965, no. 37.

2023

  • Going through Hell: The Divine Dante, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2023.

Markings

recto: none; verso: mark of copperplate manufacturer Pontifex & Co [Lisle Street, Soho, London]

Wikidata ID

Q63570761

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