Art, Symbol & Imagination
Dante Kneels before Cato
On the shore a kneeling traveller faces a bearded elder while his companion stands behind him. The open water and pale sky set the three bodies apart. Virgil directs Dante to show reverence to Cato, the guardian encountered after the escape from the infernal depths. The elder’s extended arm answers the traveller’s lowered posture, making permission to proceed an encounter between people rather than an abstract boundary.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Dante Kneels before Cato" [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 14. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-13
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Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Source plate inspected individually; printed canto and lines checked independently of binding position. Editorial title; original scan tone retained.
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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). Dante Kneels before Cato. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 14. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-13