Art, Symbol & Imagination
The unreachable tree
A company of small figures gathers beneath a tall branching tree while the two travellers stand at the edge of the woodland scene. Raised hands point towards the elevated foliage. The Purgatory XXIV caption describes vows and tears directed towards the mighty tree. Doré gives desire an upward movement that the bodies cannot complete. The tree's luxuriant shape promises abundance while holding it at a distance from the gathered company. The observers remain slightly apart, allowing the image to show both the immediate longing under the branches and the continuing route through the mountain's instruction.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The unreachable tree" [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 134. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-133
Source details
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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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). The unreachable tree. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 134. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-133