Artwork

The Circle of the Falsifiers: Dante and Virgil Covering their Noses because of the st

The Circle of the Falsifiers: Dante and Virgil Covering their Noses because of the st is an ink print by the Romanticist artist William Blake. It dates from 1827 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1827, this copperplate engraving depicts a bleak, craggy landscape dominated by a storm‑laden sky.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1827, this copperplate engraving depicts a bleak, craggy landscape dominated by a storm‑laden sky. Two figures stand on a sheer ledge, pinching their noses as a foul odor rises from the mass of contorted bodies below. The composition is rendered in stark chiaroscuro, emphasizing the oppressive atmosphere of the scene.

Subject & Meaning

The image illustrates a passage from Dante Alighieri’s *Inferno* in which the falsifiers—those who perverted truth—are condemned to a pit of noxious fumes. The two upright characters, identified as Dante and his guide Virgil, react to the stench, symbolising the poet’s moral repulsion toward deception and the corruption of language.

Technique & Style

Blake employed fine, intersecting lines and deep cross‑hatching to carve the intricate details of rock, flesh, and cloud into the metal plate. The engraving’s dramatic contrasts of light and shadow reflect the Romantic emphasis on emotional intensity, while the densely packed symbolic elements reveal Blake’s personal visual vocabulary that merges narrative with visionary allegory.

History & Provenance

Part of Blake’s late series of prints inspired by the *Divine Comedy*, the work was produced during the artist’s final years in London, a period marked by increasing isolation from the mainstream art market. Though little recognized in his lifetime, the print entered private collections in the 19th century and later appeared in major museum holdings, contributing to the posthumous reassessment of Blake’s graphic oeuvre.