The Circle of the Thieves; Buoso Donati Attacked by the Serpent

The Circle of the Thieves; Buoso Donati Attacked by the Serpent by William Blake; Harry Hoehn is a powerful example of 19th-century illustration realized through the demanding medium of engraving. Classified as a print, this particular impression is a restrike, meaning it was pulled later from the original plate or one closely based on the master's design. The primary vision originated with the British artist Blake, commissioned late in his career as part of his ambitious series illustrating Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. The physical realization of the print represented here was executed by Hoehn.

The image depicts the horrifying punishment reserved for thieves in the seventh bolgia of the Eighth Circle of Hell, Malebolge, where the sinners are eternally tormented by venomous serpents and undergo grotesque physical transformations. Specifically, the scene captures the dramatic moment Buoso Donati is attacked and consumed by a serpentine creature, leading to a horrifying exchange of forms. The intense dramatic staging is typical of Blake's mature style, reflecting the profound intellectual and imaginative currents prevalent in British art during the period spanning 1826 to 1850. Hoehn’s fidelity to the original design preserves the characteristic stark, linear quality and spiritual intensity essential to Blake's graphic work.

While Blake began his illustrations for Dante late in his life, these highly detailed prints remain among his most significant achievements in the graphic arts. This restrike demonstrates the enduring appeal of the master’s conceptual designs decades after his death. The work belongs to the extensive collection of prints held by the National Gallery of Art. Because of its age and historical importance as an example of visionary British printmaking, this masterwork is frequently cited in art history studies and is often available through public domain resources, allowing broad scholarly access to these dramatic images.