Museum Project

Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy (specifically Inferno) and the Medieval Period was an obvious choice for my Museum Report because of the symbolism and many allusions made in the story. Although this was my first time reading any of the Divine Comedy, or Dante for that matter, the reputation it has had in Western culture and its impact on art has made the poem legendary.

Although it was difficult to find specifically relative pieces of art during my visit to the museum, I did stumble on a few interesting pieces that made me think 'Dante.'


After being led around different ways by the Museum staff, I ended up finding a painting by Giotto di Bondone. One of the members of the Met staff that I had asked for help, told me that I should look for Giotto because Giotto happened to be a friend of Dante's. In fact, the description next to the painting claims that Giotto was 'praised by Dante' and was considered the 'most famous artist of his day.' As a contemporary to Dante and a fellow Florentine, Giotto's paintings, is apparently religious. The specific piece's subject matter (The Epiphany), is the Nativity scene, but it is part of a collection that includes several scenes of Jesus' life.

Giotto had also painted a portrait of Dante himself, although I did not see this particular painting at the Met. Unfortunately, Giotto's painting did not stand out to me among the rest of the Medieval Art. I found it to be ordinary among the 100's of painting of Jesus surrounding it.


What I had stumbled upon next was not of the Medieval period, but from 16th century France. Although not being part of Dante's time, this piece of a set of enamel paintings illustrate scenes from the Aeneid. I took a picture of this enamel in particular because it contained the scene of the Aeneid where Aeneas is leaving Carthage and Dido is pictured watching him.

Dante includes Dido, lover of Aeneas, in his second circle of the inferno(lust) as a part of his 5th canto.


Although I had found a few other pieces of the Medieval period of Dante, I did not find anything that had particularly interested. But while reading Dante's 33rd Canto of the Inferno, which takes place on the ice of the 9th Circle of Hell(just before Lucifer,) I noticed a familiar name. There in the 9th circle laid Ugolino and Ruggieri were suffering, frozen in ice, punished for political treachery.

Ugolino had been the particular name that I recognized and it reminded me of a past trip I had made to the Met, when I was taken away by 19th century sculpture by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. The huge sculpture depicts Ugolino's earthly punishment, being locked in a room to starve with 2 of his sons and 2 of his grandsons. Before starving to death, Ugolino is tormented by the fact that his sons plead for him to eat their own bodies.

I had expected to find more art influenced by Dante or at least Medieval art that I found interesting. Unfortunately, I found the art of Dante's time to be quite dull, but art such as Carpeaux's Ugolino and his sons far more interesting.

By the way: I found a really cool site recently with summaries' of Dante's Divine Comedy, accompanied by some explanations and illustrations.

http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/