Art, Symbol & Imagination
Rest beneath the Eastern Dawn
Two robed figures sit at a rocky cliff while a pale crescent hangs above the distant sea. The caption uses the poetic figure of the consort of Tithonus to describe the light above the eastern cliff. The opening of the canto leads into Dante's sleep and his dream of an eagle, but the engraving concentrates on the still seated travellers and the wide sky. Keeping this moment separate from the subsequent dream avoids turning the crescent or clouds into an eagle that is not visibly present. The source's softened sky and yellowed tone are preserved.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Rest beneath the Eastern Dawn" [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 57. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-56
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). Rest beneath the Eastern Dawn. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 57. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-56