The Circle of the Thieves; Agnolo Brunelleschi Attacked by a Six-Footed Serpent. Inferno, canto XXV

The Circle of the Thieves; Agnolo Brunelleschi Attacked by a Six-Footed Serpent. Inferno, canto XXV is a powerful, late work by William Blake English, 1757-1827, completed in the year of his death, 1827. This image is part of the artist's ambitious, though unfinished, series illustrating Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. The composition was executed as a hand-colored engraving on India paper, laid down using the chine collé technique on wove paper, showcasing Blake’s technical mastery in printmaking late in his career. As a prominent English printmaker and poet, Blake utilized the precision of engraving to translate the horrifying transformations described in Canto XXV, where thieves are eternally punished by being merged with serpentine demons.

The print depicts the moment of grotesque transmutation. Agnolo Brunelleschi, a Florentine robber, is violently attacked by a six-footed serpent that wraps around his body, initiating the agonizing fusion of human and reptile flesh. Blake renders this chaotic scene with dramatic linearity and precise draftsmanship, characteristic of his visionary approach to classical and spiritual texts. The composition’s intensity is heightened by the subtle, yet impactful, hand-coloring applied to the print, which underscores the infernal setting and the suffering of the damned soul. This piece stands as one of the final significant achievements of Blake’s career, demonstrating his lifelong devotion to illustrating theological and epic narrative. This important example of English prints from the Romantic period is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.