Art, Symbol & Imagination
Thais in the Ditch of Flattery
The travellers look down from a rock shelf toward figures crouching and standing in a crowded ditch. The caption identifies Thais, whom the surrounding canto associates with extravagant flattery. Doré sets the two clothed observers above the exposed inhabitants, using the height of the ledge to separate conversation from the degraded ground below. The dark recess and overlapping bodies make the pit seem close and airless. This image belongs to Dante’s literary classification of flattering speech; its judgement is not an independent account of a historical woman’s character.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Thais 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 132. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/inferno-dore-125
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Full original plate and caption individually inspected; exact neighbouring canto read. Editorial title. Source tone and intrinsic damage retained; rotation applies only to Gallery derivatives.
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Gustave Doré (design). Thais in the Ditch of Flattery. Dante's Inferno. Scan leaf 132. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/inferno-dore-125