Art, Symbol & Imagination
The ascent toward a loftier bliss
A woman stands above a robed traveller on ascending clouds beneath distant ranks of luminous figures. Dante recognises that he and his lady have been translated to a higher bliss. In the canto the changed star marks their ascent into Mars, where new lights form the sign of a cross. This plate concentrates on upward movement and the two travellers rather than requiring every later sign to be visible. Doré turns layered clouds into a rising visual route. The catalogue keeps the textual sequence distinct from the engraving's selected moment and preserves the aged impression.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The ascent toward a loftier bliss" [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 264. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-263
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.
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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 ascent toward a loftier bliss. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 264. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-263