Henry Fuseli

Virgil, Dante and Geryon

Virgil, Dante and Geryon by Henry Fuseli

Artwork Detail

In the Divine Comedy, Dante and Virgil, his guide from the classical world, descend through the different levels of Inferno. At the eighth Circle they come across its Guardian, the three-bodied giant, Geryon. He agrees to carry them down to the lowest region of Hell, and they climb upon his back. In Fuseli's drawing, Satan is prefigured in the tail that lashes out over the heads of the two figures. It is similar to a forked tongue, as Geryon is a symbol of Fraud. (Monsters and Maidens, 2004)

Title
Virgil, Dante and Geryon
Artist/creator
Henry Fuseli
Production date
1811
Medium
pen and ink
Dimensions
198 x 293 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1965
Accession no
1965/53
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Department
International Art
Display status
Not on display

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