Art, Symbol & Imagination
The narrow path beside the flames
Figures walk through flames along a high ledge while winged forms descend beside a deep cliff. The caption describes flames forced outward by the rock and driven back from the rim by an upward blast. In the canto Dante fears the fire on one side and the fall on the other, while his guide warns him to direct his eyes carefully. The engraving enlarges that precarious edge into a steep vertical division. It combines the written terrain with Doré's visible winged forms; those figures are not assigned additional names or roles unsupported by the passage.
Read the source pageLoading your collection…
Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The narrow path beside the flames" [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 153. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-152
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Full plate and printed caption individually viewed. Matching canto passage read; misplaced bindings identified by caption, not physical adjacency. Original tone and printing wear retained.
Sources
From the book
Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of DanteDante Alighieri; translated by Henry Francis Cary; illustrated by Gustave Doré1901More from this book
All 60 illustrations
Related illustrations
Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). The narrow path beside the flames. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 153. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-152