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 William Blake in 1827. This dramatic print, executed late in the artist's life, exemplifies the profound visionary nature typical of his final period (1826 to 1850). The work is an integral part of Blake’s final major project: an extensive series illustrating Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. It specifically depicts a terrifying scene from the Eighth Circle, the Malebolge, where corrupt officials (barrators) are punished by being immersed and tormented by demons in a pit of boiling pitch.

In this highly kinetic visualization, Blake demonstrates his mastery of the demanding engraving technique. The British artist renders the torment of the Navarrese barrator Ciampolo, who is fiercely interrogated and mauled by the Malebranche, a squad of menacing, winged devils. The composition is marked by dynamic, taut lines and dense crosshatching, which amplify the frantic motion and the oppressive, fiery darkness of the infernal landscape. This careful rendering emphasizes the physical struggle and moral horror inherent in Dante’s text, creating a visual narrative that is both faithful to the source material and distinctly Blakean in its mystical intensity.

As a definitive example of Blake's later prints, this work continues to influence the study of early 19th-century British Romantic art. The original engraving is classified as a Print and is maintained in the distinguished permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, offering scholars and the public direct access to one of the artist's most dramatic visions. The availability of high-resolution digital files means that this important piece, like many canonical works from this period, is now widely accessible through public domain collections worldwide.