Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Climb Requires Hands and Feet
Two travellers scramble among immense angular rocks beneath a pale sky. One reaches towards a higher ledge while the other remains lower upon the broken route. The Purgatory IV caption emphasises the need for hands as well as feet. Doré translates ascent into practical bodily effort, filling the foreground with stone that resists upright walking. The travellers' unequal heights make guidance visible through placement rather than a formal gesture. The distant open country contrasts with the immediate difficulty of the climb, keeping the mountain's promise apart from the labour required to reach it.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Climb Requires Hands and Feet" [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 30. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-29
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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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 Climb Requires Hands and Feet. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 30. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-29