"The Divine Comedy", becoming one of the greatest literary works, spawned a craze for “cartography from hell.” The desire to depict Dante's "Hell" was fueled by the popularity of cartography and the Renaissance's obsession with proportion and measurement.
Calculations by Antonio Manetti, 1529.
The passion for mapping Hell began with Antonio Manetti, Florentine architect and 15th-century mathematics. He worked diligently on "place, shape and size", for example estimating the width of Limbo to be approximately 141 kilometers.
Illustration by Antonio Manetti.
Illustration by Antonio Manetti.
However, disputes arose among scientists regarding mapping fictional world. Thinkers asked questions: What is the circumference of Hell? How deep is it? Where is the entrance? Even Galileo Galilei got involved in the discussions. In 1588, he gave two lectures in which he explored the dimensions of Hell and eventually supported Manetti's version of the topography of Hell.
Map of Hell by Botticelli.
One of the first maps of Dante's Inferno appeared in a series of ninety illustrations by Sandro Botticelli, a compatriot of the poet and creator High Renaissance, who created his drawings in the 1480-90s by order of another famous Florentine - Lorenzo de' Medici. Deborah Parker, professor of Italian at the University of Virginia, writes: “ Botticelli's Map of Hell has long been lauded as one of the most compelling visual representations of... Dante's and Virgil's descent through the "terrible valley of pain."».
Map of Hell by Michelangelo Caetani, 1855.
Dante's Inferno has been visualized countless times, from purely schematic representations, as in Michelangelo Caetani's 1855 diagram, which has little detail but a clear systematic use of color, to richly illustrated maps, as in Jacques Callot's 1612 version.
Illustrative version of Jacques Callot's map of Hell, 1612.
Even after hundreds of years of cultural change and upheaval, Inferno and its horrific scenes of torture continue to capture the interest of readers and illustrators. For example, below is Daniel Heald's version. His 1994 map lacks Botticelli's gilded sheen, but is another clear visual guide through the poet's afterlife.
Daniel Heald, 1994
Lindsay McCulloch, 2000
Map of Hell from a book published by Aldus Manutius at the end of the 15th century.
Map of Hell by Giovanni Stradano (Stradanus), 1587.
Noted only by the life-affirming motifs of “Spring”. “Venus and Mars” and “Birth of Venus”, but also with gloomy, tragic moods. A clear example of them is the drawing “Map of Hell” ( La mappa dell inferno).
There are several celebrated illustrated manuscripts of Dante's Divine Comedy. The most remarkable in this regard is the luxurious manuscript commissioned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici with magnificent drawings by Sandro Botticelli. A series of drawings by Botticelli remained unfinished, but even in this form it can be recognized as the pinnacle of art book illustration Italian Quattrocento (XV century).
Botticelli's illustrations on the theme of Hell are especially stunning. “Map of Hell” by Sandro Botticelli - a color drawing on parchment depicting nine circles of the hellish abyss.
Sandro Botticelli. Map of Hell (Circles of Hell - La mappa dell inferno). Illustration for Dante's "Divine Comedy". 1480s
Dante described Hell as an abyss with nine circles, which in turn are divided into various rings. Botticelli, in his “Map of Hell,” presented the kingdom of sinners with such subtlety and accuracy that one can trace the individual stops that, according to the plot of the “Divine Comedy,” Dante and Virgil made as they descended to the center of the earth.
Below is another illustration by Sandro Botticelli for The Divine Comedy. This is a drawing for Song 18 of Hell. The main characters, Dante and Virgil, are depicted here several times, as if traveling along the edge of a hellish abyss. They stand out with their vibrantly shining clothes. Following through the gorges of Hell, they first see the souls of pimps and seducers tormented by demons, and then informers and prostitutes who are doomed to suffer, cast into the mud.
Sandro Botticelli. Hell. Illustration for Dante's "Divine Comedy". 1480s
Here Botticelli represents Dante and his guide Virgil in the eighth circle of Hell, which consists of ten deep abysses where swindlers are punished.
Sandro Botticelli. Dante and Virgil in the eighth circle of Hell. Illustration for Dante's "Divine Comedy". 1480s
And here Botticelli painted ancient giants who rebelled against the gods and were chained for it. They symbolize the brute force of nature trapped in the depths of hell.
Sandro Botticelli. Ancient giants in Hell. Illustration for Dante's "Divine Comedy". 1480s
To the great Florentine Dante from the great Florentine Botticelli, commissioned by the wealthy Florentine Lorenzo Medici. The “Divine Comedy” of the first inspired the second, with the money of the third, to create dozens of manuscripts illustrating in detail the literary masterpiece of the 14th century. The greatest interest is caused by a kind of infographic of Hell - a map, following which the heroes of the “Divine Comedy” can be seen in detail the torment to which sinners are subjected. The spectacle is not for the faint of heart.
Plot
Botticelli depicted Hell as a funnel. Unbaptized infants and virtuous non-Christians in limbo are given over to painless grief; voluptuous people who fall into the second circle for lust suffer torment and torment by a hurricane; gluttons in the third circle rot in the rain and hail; misers and spendthrifts drag weights from place to place in the fourth circle; the angry and lazy always fight in the swamps of the fifth circle; heretics and false prophets lie in the burning graves of the sixth; all kinds of rapists, depending on the subject of the abuse, suffer in different zones of the seventh circle - boil in a ditch of hot blood, tormented by harpies or languish in the desert under the fiery rain; deceivers of those who did not trust languish in the cracks of the eighth circle: some are stuck in fetid feces, some are boiling in tar, some are chained, some are tormented by reptiles, some are gutted; and the ninth circle is prepared for those who deceived. Among the latter is Lucifer, frozen in ice, who torments in his three mouths the traitors of the majesty of the earth and heaven (Judas, Marcus Junius Brutus and Cassius - traitors of Jesus and Caesar, respectively).
Here you can see in detail the torment of sinners. The emotions and feelings of each character are written out in detail
The map of Hell was part of a large commission - the illustration of Dante's Divine Comedy. Unknown exact dates creation of manuscripts. Researchers agree that Botticelli began working on them in the mid-1480s and, with some interruptions, was busy with them until the death of the customer, Lorenzo the Magnificent de' Medici.
Not all pages have been preserved. Presumably, there should be about 100 of them, 92 manuscripts have reached us, four of them are fully colored. Several pages of text or numbers are blank, suggesting that Botticelli did not complete the work. Most are sketches. At that time, paper was expensive, and the artist could not simply throw away a sheet of paper with a failed sketch. Therefore, Botticelli first worked with a silver needle, squeezing out the design. Some manuscripts show how the design changed: from the composition as a whole to the position of individual figures. Only when the artist was satisfied with the sketch did he trace the outlines in ink.
On the reverse side of each illustration, Botticelli indicated Dante's text, which explained the drawing.
Context
"The Divine Comedy" is a kind of response to Dante's events own life. Having failed in political struggle in Florence and being expelled from hometown, he devoted himself to enlightenment and self-education, including the study of ancient authors. It is no coincidence that the guide in The Divine Comedy is Virgil, the ancient Roman poet.
The dark forest in which the hero got lost is a metaphor for the poet’s sins and quests. Virgil (reason) saves the hero (Dante) from terrible beasts (mortal sins) and guides him through Hell to Purgatory, after which he gives way to Beatrice (divine grace) on the threshold of heaven. 
The fate of the artist
Botticelli was from a family of goldsmiths and would have been involved in gold and other precious metals. However, the boy liked sketching and drawing much more. Immersed in a world of fantasy, Sandro forgot about his surroundings. He turned life into art, and art became life for him.
"Spring" by Botticelli, 1482
Among his contemporaries, Botticelli was not perceived as genius master. Yes, good artist. But that was the period when many people worked, who later became famous masters. For the 15th century, Sandro Botticelli was a reliable master who could be entrusted with painting frescoes or illustrating books, but not a genius.
“The Birth of Venus” by Botticelli, 1484−1486
Botticelli was patronized by the Medici, famous art connoisseurs. It is believed that while the painter last years spent his life almost in poverty. however, there is evidence that Botticelli was not as poor as he wanted to appear. Nevertheless, he had neither his own home nor his family. The very idea of marriage frightened him.
After meeting the monk Girolamo Savonarola, who in his sermons convincingly called for repentance and renunciation of the delights of earthly life, Botticelli completely fell into asceticism. The artist died at the age of 66 in Florence, where his ashes still rest today in the cemetery of the Church of All Saints.
The theme of the circles of hell was already developed by artists, composers, and directors of the 20th century. Many video game fans know that there is a game called Dante: Inferno. And in 2010, a fantasy cartoon based on the book by D. Alighieri was even published.
9 circles of hell: Dante's Divine Comedy
The famous singer and probably the first science fiction writer, Dante, depicted the 9 circles of hell in The Divine Comedy as a huge funnel. The more serious the sin more people suffered from a sinful person, the deeper into the funnel of the earthly underworld will be lowered by King Minos, who meets the deceased on the 2nd circle. The poet Dante described the 9 circles of hell as a place where on each “floor” the souls of the dead serve hard labor. The poem was written in the dark ages, when the human mind was shackled by the fear of purgatory.
Dante worked on the poem for a long time - from 1307 to 1321. That is, the poem has been glorifying the name of this man for more than 700 years. For literature, this is an excellent example of medieval poetry. The entire poem is written in terzas, with a stylistic charm unprecedented for those times.
The poet describes all these circles of hell as very dark and cruel, as only a person who lived in the era of Catholic despotism could imagine. For general idea Let's describe all 9 circles, as they are depicted exactly in the original source - the poem "The Divine Comedy".
Description of the first 5 circles of hell
In limbo (1st circle), Dante “settled” poets and scientists of antiquity who were not baptized. So, in essence, their souls do not belong to anyone to the lower world, nor the highest. In this place, the human soul experiences sorrow, but there is no bodily torment, writes Dante.
On the 2nd circle, souls are already suffering. They are tormented by gusts of wind. How on earth they were restless and sought pleasure in voluptuousness, and not in spiritual world, and here they will forever be tormented by an unprecedented storm.
The next circle is the afterlife haven of gluttons and gourmets. They are doomed to rot under the constant and nasty rain. Next comes greed. This sin is punished by the fact that the soul of the miser is obliged to drag weights on his back forever and fight with other souls who drag the same bales towards him.
The last circle of less serious sins associated with incontinence and craving for material things is a circle for the souls of angry, lazy or despondent people.
Circles of hell for the most terrible torments
The most terrible sins, according to the writer, is violence, deception, extravagance, hypocrisy and betrayal. Circle 6 is for false teachers who have directed human minds to lies for their own benefit. In all the “open spaces” of the 7th tier, rapists are tormented. And the 8th and 9th circles are for the most “refined” hypocrites, heretics, pimps and seducers. As well as trading priests and alchemists. It is these sins that Dante condemns, and for such souls eternal hard labor in the 9th circle is most terrible.
On the very last circle, in the center, there is a fallen angel frozen into a lake with the ancient name Cocytus. Such people are doomed to be tortured in his teeth historical figures, like Judas, as well as those who betrayed Caesar, Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius.
Dante Alighieri describes the 9 circles of hell as truly terrifying and unusual.
Who inspired Dante?
Like every writer, Dante had his own muse. A girl named Bice (the genius himself later gave her the name Beatrice) inspired the talented young man with just her existence. He was so selflessly and for a long time devoted with all his thoughts to only one lady of his heart that his greatest work, like his other poetry, was written in her honor.
Many masters of the brush depicted this girl with the poet. The artist Holiday Henry painted the painting “Dante and Beatrice” (year of painting - 1883).
To the great Florentine Dante from the great Florentine Botticelli, commissioned by the wealthy Florentine Lorenzo Medici. The “Divine Comedy” of the first inspired the second, with the money of the third, to create dozens of manuscripts illustrating in detail the literary masterpiece of the 14th century. The greatest interest is caused by a kind of infographic of Hell - a map, following which the heroes of the “Divine Comedy” can be seen in detail the torment to which sinners are subjected. The spectacle is not for the faint of heart.
Plot
Botticelli depicted Hell as a funnel. Unbaptized infants and virtuous non-Christians in limbo are given over to painless grief; voluptuous people who fall into the second circle for lust suffer torment and torment by a hurricane; gluttons in the third circle rot in the rain and hail; misers and spendthrifts drag weights from place to place in the fourth circle; the angry and lazy always fight in the swamps of the fifth circle; heretics and false prophets lie in the burning graves of the sixth; all kinds of rapists, depending on the subject of the abuse, suffer in different zones of the seventh circle - boil in a ditch of hot blood, tormented by harpies or languish in the desert under the fiery rain; deceivers of those who did not trust languish in the cracks of the eighth circle: some are stuck in fetid feces, some are boiling in tar, some are chained, some are tormented by reptiles, some are gutted; and the ninth circle is prepared for those who deceived. Among the latter is Lucifer, frozen in ice, who torments in his three mouths the traitors of the majesty of the earth and heaven (Judas, Marcus Junius Brutus and Cassius - traitors of Jesus and Caesar, respectively).
The map of Hell was part of a large commission - the illustration of Dante's Divine Comedy. The exact dates of creation of the manuscripts are unknown. Researchers agree that Botticelli began working on them in the mid-1480s and, with some interruptions, was busy with them until the death of the customer, Lorenzo the Magnificent de' Medici.
Not all pages have been preserved. Presumably, there should be about 100 of them, 92 manuscripts have reached us, four of them are fully colored. Several pages of text or numbers are blank, suggesting that Botticelli did not complete the work. Most are sketches. At that time, paper was expensive, and the artist could not simply throw away a sheet of paper with a failed sketch. Therefore, Botticelli first worked with a silver needle, squeezing out the design. Some manuscripts show how the design changed: from the composition as a whole to the position of individual figures. Only when the artist was satisfied with the sketch did he trace the outlines in ink.
On the reverse side of each illustration, Botticelli indicated Dante's text, which explained the drawing.
Context
"The Divine Comedy" is a kind of response to Dante to the events of his own life. Having suffered a fiasco in the political struggle in Florence and being expelled from his hometown, he devoted himself to enlightenment and self-education, including the study of ancient authors. It is no coincidence that the guide in The Divine Comedy is Virgil, the ancient Roman poet.
The dark forest in which the hero got lost is a metaphor for the poet’s sins and quests. Virgil (reason) saves the hero (Dante) from terrible beasts (mortal sins) and guides him through Hell to Purgatory, after which he gives way to Beatrice (divine grace) on the threshold of heaven.
The fate of the artist
Botticelli was from a family of goldsmiths and would have been involved in gold and other precious metals. However, the boy liked sketching and drawing much more. Immersed in a world of fantasy, Sandro forgot about his surroundings. He turned life into art, and art became life for him.
Among his contemporaries, Botticelli was not perceived as a master of genius. Yes, a good artist. But that was a period when many masters who later became famous created their work. For the 15th century, Sandro Botticelli was a reliable master who could be entrusted with painting frescoes or illustrating books, but not a genius.
Botticelli was patronized by the Medici, famous art connoisseurs. It is believed that the painter spent the last years of his life almost in poverty. however, there is evidence that Botticelli was not as poor as he wanted to appear. Nevertheless, he had neither his own home nor his family. The very idea of marriage frightened him.
After meeting the monk Girolamo Savonarola, who in his sermons convincingly called for repentance and renunciation of the delights of earthly life, Botticelli completely fell into asceticism. The artist died at the age of 66 in Florence, where his ashes still rest today in the cemetery of the Church of All Saints.
