Art, Symbol & Imagination
The widow appeals to the ruler
A kneeling woman raises her arms before a mounted ruler and an assembled company carrying standards and weapons. The two travellers stand apart, looking upon the crowded encounter. The Purgatory X caption preserves a mother's demand for vengeance for her murdered son. Doré presents the appeal within a public procession, allowing a single bowed figure to interrupt the movement of power. Horses and banners create a dense background of authority, while the woman's lifted hands keep the claim small and personal. The observers connect the scene to the mountain's narrative of instructive images.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The widow appeals to the ruler" [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 68. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/dante-dore-67
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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Gustave Doré (design). The widow appeals to the ruler. Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante. Scan leaf 68. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/dante-dore-67