Art, Symbol & Imagination
Lucifer at the Centre of the Frozen Pit
A colossal winged figure rises behind the two small travellers, with exposed bodies embedded in the foreground ice. Virgil points out Dis as the journey reaches its lowest point. Doré makes the spread wings and towering body dominate the space while the visitors remain small on the icy approach. The nearby canto attributes the freezing winds to the creature’s wings and describes multiple faces and mouths. The dark plate does not make every textual detail equally visible, so this entry describes the observed composition rather than assigning hidden features. It represents Dante’s literary Lucifer, not a factual image of an otherworldly being.
Read the source pageLoading your collection…
Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Lucifer at the Centre of the Frozen Pit" [editorial title]. In Dante's Inferno, Dante Alighieri. New Edition, undated supplied scan, undated edition, Thompson & Thomas. Source scan leaf 235. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/inferno-dore-228
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.
Sources
From the book
Dante's InfernoDante AlighieriUndated editionMore from this book
All 76 illustrations
Related illustrations
Explore in the Codex
Entries that reference this illustration.
Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). Lucifer at the Centre of the Frozen Pit. Dante's Inferno. Scan leaf 235. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/inferno-dore-228