The Circle of Traitors: Dante's Foot Striking Bocca degli Abbate 1820 - 1832

Curator: Looking at William Blake’s drawing from between 1820 and 1832, titled *The Circle of Traitors: Dante's Foot Striking Bocca degli Abbate,* it's hard not to get swept up in the social and political currents of the time. Blake, an engraver, drew from Dante's *Inferno*. Editor: Immediately, what strikes me is this incredibly desolate scene—dread practically emanates from this drawing. The sheer number of faces emerging from the ice. Eek! Curator: Indeed, the work depicts Dante and Virgil in Cocytus, the frozen lake in the ninth circle of Hell, reserved for betrayers. Blake used ink and graphite to capture the horror and psychological depth of Dante’s vision. The composition emphasizes the power structures at play, revealing how traitors threaten social harmony. Editor: Those lines are almost shivering. They conjure this bleak, eternal landscape of frozen despair, and, oh god, that one traitor whose face Dante is about to obliterate with his foot—poor soul... kinda. Curator: Blake was very critical of authority figures in society, and often aligned himself with the marginalized. Notice Dante's pose—a reflection of judgement? Consider this: Dante himself condemned Florence’s traitors within his *Divine Comedy*, providing some emotional, social and historical clues of Blake's intentions here. Editor: You can almost hear the ice cracking under Dante’s feet! I like how Blake makes us squirm. Even though the lines are simple, and the tones muted, the emotional intensity is palpable, like some sort of nightmare we all share a tiny sliver of. Curator: Through *The Circle of Traitors*, Blake pushes us to reflect on themes of political treachery, justice, and damnation. Editor: Agreed. And isn't it something how a few skillfully placed lines can freeze our very souls? Art—the ultimate power move!