Gustave Doré was born in 1832 in Strasbourg and died in Paris in 1883. His career as an illustrator was intense and wide-ranging (his is one of the more notable series of illustrations of Don Quijote). His 76 illustrations of Inferno appeared in 1861, and were followed by the 42 of Purgatorio and 18 of Paradiso. Most observers agree that, among Dante's many illustrators, Doré is the most faithful to the letter of Dante's text. |
"Vergine Madre, figlia del tuo figlio,
Affetto al suo piacer, quel contemplante
In forma dunque di candida rosa
In forma dunque di candida rosami
si mostrava la milizia santa
che nel suo sangue Cristo fece sposa;
The Saintly Throng in the Form of a Rose
E "Ov' e ella?" subito diss' io. Ond' elli: "A terminar lo tuo disiro mosse Beatrice me del loco mio;
Second Ring of Solar Spirits
(
http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/paradiso/gallery04.html
)