Known worldwide as a literary monument, the Divine Comedy, completed in 1321 and written by Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), is widely considered the greatest work ever composed in the Italian language. The epic poem describes Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, representing, on a deeper level, the soul’s path towards salvation.

In the last years of his life, the romantic poet and artist William Blake (1757–1827) produced 102 illustrations for Dante’s masterpiece, ranging from pencil sketches to finished watercolors. Like Dante’s expansive poem, Blake’s paintings range from scenes of downward suffering to celestial light, from terrifying human distortion to the perfection of the natural form. While faithful to the text, Blake also adds his perspective to some of Dante’s central themes.

Today, Blake's illustrations, which were left in various stages of completion at the time of his death, are scattered across seven different institutions. This edition from TASCHEN brings these works back together, alongside key excerpts from Dante's masterpiece. Two introductory essays explore Dante and Blake, as well as other significant artists inspired by the Divine Comedy, including Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Doré, and Auguste Renoir.

With a comprehensive reading of Blake’s illustrations, as well as numerous close-ups to allow the finer details to impress, this is a chilling encounter with two of the greatest artistic talents in history as well as with such universal themes as love, guilt, punishment, revenge, and salvation.