Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Serpent Retreats through the Flowers
A serpent coils among flowering plants while faint winged figures fly above a valley. The caption describes the serpent fleeing at the sound of the guards' wings and the angels returning to their stations. The large foreground plants bring the intruder close to the viewer, while the protective figures remain distant and faint. This frontispiece belongs to the valley episode of Canto VIII, rather than to the opening shoreline scene. The worn upper printing remains part of the supplied impression; no missing details have been reconstructed.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Serpent Retreats through the Flowers" [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 6. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-5
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
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). The Serpent Retreats through the Flowers. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 6. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-5