The Circle of Corrupt Officials: The Devils Tormenting Ciampolo

The Circle of Corrupt Officials: The Devils Tormenting Ciampolo by William Blake is a powerful engraving executed between 1820 and 1832, representing the artist’s intensely personal interpretation of Canto XXI of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. This print belongs to the influential series of illustrations Blake created for The Divine Comedy, depicting the torment of grafters and corrupt officials within the fifth bolgia of Malebolge.

The composition centers on the fate of Ciampolo, a Sardinian corrupt official, as he is brutally harassed by a cohort of demons. Blake’s distinctive linear style and dramatic use of light and shadow enhance the frenzied violence of the scene. The figures of the devils, characterized by grotesque features, employ various weapons, including long spears and hooks, to drag the condemned back into the boiling pitch. The use of male nudes, common in Blake’s dramatic works, emphasizes the vulnerability and physical anguish of the damned figures caught in the chaos of eternal punishment.

This exceptional print is classified as an engraving, showcasing Blake’s masterful technical ability in working the copper plate to achieve nuanced texture and depth. As a major work from the final phase of the artist’s career, the piece demonstrates his enduring commitment to merging spiritual fervor with literary subjects. This important example of British Romantic printmaking resides within the vast collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since the work is now in the public domain, it remains a critical and accessible reference point for studying Blake’s unique visual theology.