Illustration for Canto XIII c. 16th century

Curator: This is Antonio Tempesta's "Illustration for Canto XIII." Look at how dense the scene is. My eye is immediately drawn to the fallen horse in the foreground. Editor: Yes, there is a very somber mood—death and labor all intertwined. I wonder about the availability of such materials at the time of its creation, like the paper and ink. Curator: Tempesta uses familiar symbols from Dante's Inferno to illustrate the consequences of deceit and violence, notice the figures scaling the tower, perhaps representative of ambition. Editor: The tools they’re using to break into what looks like a fortified structure—hammers, ladders. The labor involved is very prominent and crude. Curator: Absolutely. The labor and the siege of a place are visually intertwined. The artist seems to be depicting how violence requires so much work. Editor: A violent, material world. That makes sense, and it’s all etched so precisely—really drawing attention to the production of the image itself. Curator: It is a dark reflection on human nature. Editor: Yes, certainly makes you think about the cost of conquest.