Art, Symbol & Imagination
Alessio in the Ditch of Flattery
A bare figure looks upward from a crowded, dirty hollow beneath the two travellers standing on its steep edge. The caption and surrounding canto identify Alessio, who connects his present condition with the flattering speech that came from his tongue. Doré makes the upward look the point of contact between the low company and the visitors above. Thick hatching closes the recess around the inhabitants and emphasises the difference in height. The plate illustrates a character within Dante’s judgement of flattery; it does not independently establish the historical Alessio’s character or the reality of the imagined punishment.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Alessio in the Ditch of Flattery" [editorial title]. In Dante's Inferno, Dante Alighieri. New Edition, undated supplied scan, undated edition, Thompson & Thomas. Source scan leaf 131. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/inferno-dore-124
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Full original plate and caption individually inspected; neighbouring canto read. Editorial title. Source tone and intrinsic damage retained; rotation applies only to Gallery derivatives.
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Dante's InfernoDante AlighieriUndated editionMore from this book
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). Alessio in the Ditch of Flattery. Dante's Inferno. Scan leaf 131. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/inferno-dore-124