The Circle of the Traitors; Dante's Foot Striking Bocca degli Abbate

The Circle of the Traitors; Dante's Foot Striking Bocca degli Abbate, created by William Blake in 1827, stands as a profound vision from the artist's final, ambitious series illustrating Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Executed as an engraving, this highly detailed print exemplifies Blake’s unique mastery of linear definition and dramatic chiaroscuro in his later career. The work was produced during the period of 1826 to 1850, marking the close of the British Romantic movement and solidifying Blake’s reputation as one of the era's most singular prophetic artists.

The scene depicts a grim moment from the Inferno (Canto XXXII), capturing Dante and his guide, Virgil, traversing Cocytus, the deepest region of Hell reserved for traitors. Dante stumbles upon the head of Bocca degli Abbate, a notorious Florentine betrayer, frozen in the ice. Blake’s composition focuses intensely on the visceral action; Dante’s foot is poised mid-strike, emphasizing the accident and subsequent verbal confrontation. The artist utilizes the medium of engraving to create stark contrasts between the desolate, frozen landscape and the monumental, expressive figures. This technique amplifies the emotional intensity, a hallmark of Blake’s interpretive approach to the canonical text.

While Blake began the design stages in preparatory drawings and watercolors, the execution of the final prints, such as The Circle of the Traitors; Dante's Foot Striking Bocca degli Abbate, was intended for widespread publication, although the series was ultimately left incomplete at the time of his death. These finished prints remain critical records of Blake’s genius, illustrating his profound engagement with literature and theology. This significant piece is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., preserving a key contribution to British printmaking and illustrating the historical context surrounding artistic interpretation of classical literature in the 19th century. High-quality reproductions of these historical prints are frequently made available through various public domain collections globally.