The Circle of the Corrupt Officials; the Devils Tormenting Ciampolo

The Circle of the Corrupt Officials; the Devils Tormenting Ciampolo is a powerful engraving created by the British visionary artist William Blake in 1827. Classified as a print, this work stems from the late period of Blake's career, placing it squarely within the 1826 to 1850 era, when the artist focused intensely on major illustrative series inspired by literature. Blake produced the work as part of his renowned interpretations of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, a series left unfinished at the time of his death.

The scene depicted is drawn from Canto XXII of Dante's epic poem, focusing on the Malebranche and the Barrators (corrupt officials) consigned to the eighth circle of Hell. The work captures the frantic energy of the devils tormenting the soul of Ciampolo, the Navarrese grafting official who attempted to trick his captors. Utilizing the meticulous technique of engraving, Blake renders the figures with fierce linearity and sharp, defined contour lines, characteristic of his unique graphic approach. This process allowed Blake to translate his intense, spiritual imagination into repeatable prints, emphasizing the dramatic and chaotic struggle between damnation and momentary escape, a recurrent theme in his artistic output.

As one of Blake’s final major series, this piece demonstrates the enduring power of his visual storytelling during the twilight of the Romantic era in British culture. Though originally commissioned as illustrations, many of these individual works are recognized today as powerful independent artistic statements. This essential piece from 1827 is part of the extensive collection of prints held by the National Gallery of Art, offering scholars and the public insight into Blake’s profound literary and visual legacy, much of which is today considered to be in the public domain.