Death of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta 1870

Alexandre Cabanel's 1870 painting, "Death of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta", depicts the tragic love story of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta. The painting portrays the moment they are discovered in a passionate embrace and killed by Francesca's husband, a scene inspired by Dante's Inferno. The composition is a masterclass in dramatic realism, with the lovers' entwined bodies creating a striking contrast with the cool marble floor and the dark shadows of the background. Cabanel's use of light and shadow highlights the emotional intensity of the scene, capturing the lovers' doomed romance and the brutal violence of their end.