Salvador Dalí – Divine Comedy (L’Enfer, Chant I)
An original limited edition woodcut from Dalí’s Divine Comedy series, depicting the opening of Dante’s descent — the dark wood, the three beasts, and the first encounter with Virgil. Includes a detailed Authentication Report.
Chant I is the foundation of the entire Divine Comedy: a moment of existential disorientation and the first appearance of the guide. Dalí’s woodcut interpretation gives the opening scene an archaic, forceful clarity—bold contrasts and carved line that feel perfectly suited to a story that begins in darkness and uncertainty.
Art Historical Context
Salvador Dalí’s complete illustration of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is considered one of the most ambitious graphic undertakings of the twentieth century. The cycle comprises 100 images across Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, executed using multiple print techniques.
In L’Enfer, Chant I, Dante awakens lost in a dark wood—an emblem of spiritual confusion and moral uncertainty. Attempting to ascend a sunlit hill, he is blocked by three beasts traditionally interpreted as embodiments of sin and human weakness. The arrival of Virgil marks the beginning of the journey through Hell.
The woodcut medium reinforces the canto’s symbolic severity. Its bold tonal divisions and direct carved structure evoke early book illustration traditions, heightening the sense of a foundational chapter—an origin point where fear, temptation, and guidance are established as the journey’s permanent themes.
What You Receive
- Original Salvador Dalí woodcut
- Hand-numbered from the limited edition
- Printed using traditional woodcut technique
- Original accompanying booklet or documentation (where applicable)
- AuthenticDali Authentication Report
Technical Specifications
| Artist | Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) |
| Title | Divine Comedy – L’Enfer – Chant I |
| Medium | Original Woodcut |
| Edition | Limited edition (hand-numbered) |
| Paper | Archival-quality paper (depending on edition) |
| Condition | Excellent vintage condition (see images for details) |
| Authentication | Includes detailed Authentication Report |
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 I holds exceptional importance within the Divine Comedy cycle as the narrative and symbolic entry point to the entire journey. Collectors often value this plate for its foundational role and its iconic themes of uncertainty, confrontation, and guidance.
As a woodcut, the composition gains additional authority through relief printing’s directness and visual discipline, making it a distinct and powerful counterpart to etched interpretations of the same canto.
Learn more about the dark wood, the three beasts, and Dalí’s woodcut interpretation of the journey’s beginning in our in-depth reference page:
Salvador Dalí – Divine Comedy, Inferno – Chant I
Availability is limited to remaining impressions from the edition.