The Circle of the Falsifiers; Dante and Virgil Covering their Noses because of the stench

Executed as a restrike engraving, the image relies on fine line work, cross‑hatching, and dense shading to create a drawing‑like effect. The limited palette of black ink against white paper heightens the dramatic contrast, while the intricate incisions convey texture in both the rugged cliff and the tormented figures below.

Blake originally cut the plate earlier in his career; the 1827 version is a later restrike, produced after the artist’s death when interest in his work was rising. The print remained obscure during Blake’s lifetime, but subsequent Romantic scholars have cited it as evidence of his engagement with literary sources and moral allegory.

Created in the early nineteenth century, the engraving reflects the Romantic fascination with medieval literature and the exploration of inner psychological states through mythic imagery. Blake’s integration of Dante’s vision into his own symbolic system aligns with contemporary efforts to merge visual art and poetic narrative.