Dante Historiato by Federico Zuccaro

Dante Historiato by Federico Zuccaro

This incredible work of the Spanish Renaissance presents 88 of the finest depictions of the famous Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri (ca. 1265–1321). The detailed drawings were made by the Italian painter Federico Zuccaro (1540–1609) between 1586 and 1588, after he had summoned to the Royal Monastery of El Escorial by King Philip II of Spain (1527–98). He had already established an international reputation through his work as a portrait painter at the English court of Elizabeth I and the decoration of the Cappella Paolina in the Vatican. Accordingly, Zuccaro ran in the circles of the leading artists and intellectuals of his time and had a deep, personal understanding of Dante's magnum opus.

Great Art of Unique Aesthetics

His 88 elaborate drawings illustrate the work in its entirety with 28 depictions of Hell, 49 of Purgatory and 11 of Paradise. Zuccaro created those of Hell and Paradise with sanguine and pencil, while he executed those of Purgatory as washed pen and ink drawings, thus creating a work of unique aesthetics. Moreover, the pictorial works, which interpret Dante's tales freely and innovatively, reflect Zuccaro's deep understanding and intellectual analysis of this milestone in literary history.

The Magnum Opus of Italian Literature

Zuccaro produced the drawings for a printed edition of Dante's Divine Comedy published in the 1580s, the text of which accompanies the pictures as a autograph transcription by Zuccaro. In this magnum opus, which like no other work can be regarded as a fundamental text of modern Italian, the reader is taken on a journey through hell, which finally ends with the entrance to paradise. During this journey, the reader encounters around 600 souls from mythology, poetry and history who, depending on their deeds, have to endure a wide variety of punishments in hell or are already allowed to stay in heavenly paradise.

The Precious Possessions of Great Patrons of the Arts

When Zuccaro died in 1609, the collection of his valuable original drawings initially came into the hands of the patron and connoisseur of the arts Paolo Giordano Orsini (1541–1585) and his wife Isabella Romola de' Medici (1542–1576). From there, they became the property of the Medici family and eventually found their way into the world-famous galleries of the Uffizi in Florence.