Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle of Hell

Working in oil on canvas, Gustave Doré painted this Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle of Hell around 1861, a dramatic interpretation of Dante Alighieri's Inferno. The ancient poet Virgil guides Dante through the frozen depths of Hell where traitors are imprisoned in ice. Doré brings his famous illustrations of the Divine Comedy to monumental painted form.

From childhood, Doré was passionate about Dante's epic poem. In 1855, he began creating wood engravings for all three parts: Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. The illustrations became bestsellers, and Doré sought recognition as a serious painter through large-scale works like this. The composition captures the frozen horror of Hell's deepest circle.

Though Doré achieved great success as an illustrator and was made Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 1861, his paintings received less acclaim. This work is at the Musée Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne, France.