Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Souls Crowd towards Charon
A dense company of unclothed figures hurries down the shore toward the ferryman's boat, some raising their arms as the crossing begins. The third canto compares the condemned souls' movement to a sequence of leaves falling from a branch. Doré turns that ordered inevitability into a closely packed rush of bodies. The shore slopes into the water and the boat offers little visible room, increasing the feeling of pressure. Charon stands apart with his oar, directing the movement. The gallery title describes the represented action rather than assigning names to the anonymous figures. The original plate is printed sideways and is turned upright only in this gallery derivative.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Souls Crowd towards Charon" [editorial title]. In Dante's Inferno, Dante Alighieri. New Edition, undated supplied scan, undated edition, Thompson & Thomas. Source scan leaf 36. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/inferno-dore-29
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Full source plate visually inspected; original scan tone retained. Editorial title. Sideways bound plates turned upright in the derivative only; source and reader unchanged.
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Dante's InfernoDante AlighieriUndated editionMore from this book
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Gustave Doré (design). The Souls Crowd towards Charon. Dante's Inferno. Scan leaf 36. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/inferno-dore-29