The whirlwind of lovers

Details

CONTINENTAL SCHOOL, 19th CENTURY
The whirlwind of lovers
black chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash, on light brown paper, brown ink framing lines
24.6 x 36.2 cm (9 1/2 x 14 1/4 in.)

Provenance

Private collection, U.S.A.

Conditions of sale

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Annabel Kishor Specialist

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Lot Essay

The present drawing illustrates the tragic tale of the adulterous affair between Paolo and Francesca related by Dante in cante V of Inferno, the first part of his Divine Comedy. The lovers are about to be engulfed by a whirlwind of illicit lovers in the second circle of Hell. In the foreground, Virgil is standing by Dante, who experiences the vision lying on the ground.

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