The Early Printed Illustrations of Dante’s "Commedia"

The Early Printed Illustrations of Dante’s “Commedia” provides the first systematic overview of the earliest illustrated editions of Dante’s poem, stretching from 1481 through 1596, and features over 230 illustrations.


Developing a series of interdisciplinary methods for studying early printed book illustrations, Matthew Collins explores the visual sources for the first illustrated editions of the Commedia, their narrative qualities, and their influence on Renaissance readers. He traces the visual genealogies that link these images to each other and to renderings of the poem in other media, including illuminated manuscripts and drawings, such as those by Sandro Botticelli. Collins additionally delves into a group of cartographically oriented renderings of Dante’s afterlife, interpreting them in the context of the Age of Exploration. He addresses the utilitarian aspect of the illustrations as well: What was their common function? His answer unravels the multidimensional role that these images served for Renaissance readers, emphasizing their pedagogical and mnemonic uses.


Of value to numerous disciplines, The Early Printed Illustrations of Dante’s “Commedia” fills a gap in Dante studies and will inspire similar investigations into the visual representation of other literary works in the age of early print.