Divine Comedy - L'Enfer - Chant 14 - The Blasphemers - Woodcut - 118/4765 - "Collectors Set"

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 spanning Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, executed in multiple print techniques.

In L’Enfer, Chant XIV, Dante and Virgil traverse the Third Ring of the Seventh Circle, where those violent against God, nature, and art endure punishment upon burning sand while flames descend from above. The canto includes the defiant figure of Capaneus, whose pride persists even amid eternal suffering.

The woodcut technique amplifies the starkness of the scene. Its carved surfaces and strong black-and-white contrasts echo early print traditions, lending the composition a timeless and almost primordial severity. Dalí’s interpretation becomes less illustrative and more elemental — a landscape of exposure and endurance.

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 XIV represents one of the most visually severe environments in the Inferno sequence. Collectors drawn to Dalí’s stark and elemental imagery often find woodcut impressions of this canto particularly compelling.

Within the Divine Comedy cycle, this plate combines narrative importance with the expressive power of relief printing, making it distinct from the etched interpretations.