The Six-Footed Serpent Attacking Agnolo Brunelleschi

Title

The Six-Footed Serpent Attacking Agnolo Brunelleschi

Student Commentary:

This engraving from Illustrations of Dante (1978 facsimile) is Blake’s depiction of the eighth circle of Hell in the Divine Comedy, which is where thieves go. Agnolo Brunelleschi, the man in the center of the image who is being attacked by the “six footed serpent,” was a thief condemned to be punished in this way for eternity. The cloaked men standing to the left of Brunelleschi are Dante and Virgil, and the men standing to the right of Brunelleschi are his accomplices. This plate is an example of the detailed attention Blake gave to gruesome scenes; the man being attacked is portrayed in agonizing detail, compared to the snakes on the ground.

Links:

Detailed View of Image at the William Blake Archive

About this Book

Source

William Blake@Union Digital Collection