Art, Symbol & Imagination
Belacqua Waits beneath the Rock
A seated figure bends his head towards his knees beneath a rocky overhang. Other resting figures gather behind him while two robed travellers approach. The body’s folded posture makes delay visible. Dante recognises Belacqua among those waiting before their ascent, and the shade of the rock becomes a shelter for a company whose journey cannot simply begin at will. The standing visitors introduce movement into an image otherwise organised around rest.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Belacqua Waits beneath the Rock" [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 35. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-34
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Source plate inspected individually; printed canto and lines checked independently of binding position. Editorial title; original scan tone retained.
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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). Belacqua Waits beneath the Rock. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 35. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-34