Divine Comedy - L'Enfer - Chant 4 - Limbo - Woodcut - 118/4765 - "Collectors Set"

Art Historical Context

Salvador Dalí’s complete illustration of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy stands among the most ambitious graphic projects of the twentieth century. The cycle comprises 100 images across Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, rendered using multiple print techniques.

In L’Enfer, Chant IV, Dante and Virgil enter Limbo, the First Circle of Hell. Here reside unbaptized souls and virtuous pagans — including Homer, Horace, Ovid, Virgil himself, and other figures of classical antiquity. Though free from physical torment, these souls endure eternal separation from divine grace.

Dalí’s woodcut treatment underscores Limbo’s classical gravity. The carved lines and balanced composition evoke ancient reliefs and early book illustration, reinforcing the canto’s atmosphere of noble restraint and unfulfilled desire rather than overt suffering.

Authentication & Documentation

This artwork is accompanied by a structured Authentication Report, providing transparency and research-based documentation specific to this individual woodcut.

• Edition and numbering verification
• Medium and technique confirmation
• Research references related to the Divine Comedy series
• High-resolution photographic documentation

This approach supports informed collecting and responsible evaluation of Dalí’s graphic works.

Collecting Significance

Chant IV is prized for its intellectual and historical resonance. Collectors drawn to classical culture, literary heritage, and contemplative imagery often regard this plate as one of the most refined scenes in the Inferno series.

As a woodcut, the image gains additional authority through its sculptural quality and visual restraint, distinguishing it from more dramatic or violent cantos.