Art, Symbol & Imagination
The angel calls the downward gaze upward
Two travellers stand within a steep rocky opening while a pale winged figure rises beyond them. Sea and sky form a bright distance through the gap between the cliffs. The Purgatory XIX caption asks why the traveller still looks towards the earth. Doré turns that question into opposed directions of attention, placing the airborne messenger above a landscape that remains materially heavy in the foreground. The narrow opening makes the angel visible without surrounding the entire scene in light. Rock, water and wings become the means by which the invitation to lift one's gaze can be seen.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The angel calls the downward gaze upward" [editorial title]. In Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante, Dante Alighieri; translated by Henry Francis Cary; illustrated by Gustave Doré. New edition, 1901, 1901, Thompson & Thomas. Source scan leaf 117. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-116
Source details
- The angel calls the downward gaze upward
- Divine Comedy
- Gustave Doré (design)
- Historical book illustration
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Original source design and caption inspected; composition retained with scan margins trimmed. No reconstructed or recoloured details.
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From the book
Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of DanteDante Alighieri; translated by Henry Francis Cary; illustrated by Gustave Doré1901More from this book
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Gustave Doré (design). The angel calls the downward gaze upward. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 117. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-116