Art, Symbol & Imagination
The eagle formed of heavenly spirits
A vast winged shape emerges from countless luminous bodies above two small standing observers upon clouds. The sky is filled with sweeping light and finely articulated figures. The Paradise XIX caption names the beautiful image with open wings. Doré allows a collective form to become visible without erasing the individual bodies that make it. The observers' tiny scale establishes the difference between human encounter and celestial organisation. The eagle is therefore neither a solitary animal nor a simple outline in the sky, but a multitude whose shared arrangement creates one commanding presence.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The eagle formed of heavenly spirits" [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 297. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-296
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 eagle formed of heavenly spirits. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 297. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-296