Salvador Dalí's Divine Comedy: A Guide to the Wood Engravings
The Salvador Dalí Divine Comedy consists of 100 colour wood engravings, one for each canto of Dante's poem, created between 1959 and 1963. In this guide I describe how the suite came about, how the engravings were made, how to recognise a genuine work from the suite, and which engravings are currently available at the gallery.
How Salvador Dalí's Divine Comedy came to be
In 1950 the Italian government invited Dalí to illustrate Dante's Divina Commedia to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the poet's birth. Dalí embraced the project and began his preliminary watercolours in 1951. The commission, however, was not well received in Italy, where many felt it was inappropriate for a Spanish painter to honour the work of the country's greatest poet, and the project was dropped.
Dalí did not abandon it. Together with the French publisher Joseph Forêt, he continued to pursue the publication, and Forêt brought the project to Les Heures Claires in Paris, which published the French edition. An Italian edition followed, published in six volumes between 1963 and 1964 by Adriano Salani of Florence together with Arti e Scienze of Rome.
Dante's poem is divided into 100 cantos: 34 in Inferno, 33 in Purgatorio and 33 in Paradiso. The poet Virgil guides Dante through Inferno and Purgatorio, while Beatrice, Dante's ideal woman, leads him through Paradiso. The suite contains one image for each canto. Our page on the story and historical background of Dalí's Divine Comedy tells this history in more detail, and separate pages list every title in Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso.
Wood engravings, not lithographs
People often search for "Salvador Dalí Divine Comedy lithographs", but the works in this suite are wood engravings, which belong to an entirely different family of printmaking techniques.
Lithography is a planographic technique. The artist draws on a flat stone or plate with a greasy crayon or ink, and the medium itself is never carved or incised; the printing relies on the fact that grease and water repel each other. Wood engraving, by contrast, is a relief technique. Everything that is not meant to be printed is cut away, and the raised surface of the block is then inked and pressed onto the paper.
Wood engraving is also related to the woodcut, but the two are not the same. For a woodcut, the design is cut into the side grain of a block of wood. For a wood engraving, it is cut into the end grain of a hard wood, which allows finer lines and more intricate designs. Our Secrets of Printmaking page explains the three families of printmaking technique, relief, planographic and intaglio, in more depth.
Because a separate block has to be made for each colour, the scale of this project was remarkable. For the 100 images of the Divine Comedy, 3,500 blocks were carved by two professional carvers, Raymond Jacquet and Jean Taricco, working under Dalí's supervision.
How to recognise a genuine Dalí Divine Comedy wood engraving
The answer to this question begins with the catalogue raisonnés. The suite is documented in both of the catalogue raisonnés that help with the authentication of Dalí's graphic work: Albert Field's Official Catalogue of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dalí, where it appears on pages 189 to 200, and Michler & Löpsinger's catalogue raisonné, where the 100 engravings are referenced as numbers 1039 to 1138. A Dalí graphic work that is not included in either catalogue cannot be considered a genuine original work by Dalí. Every Divine Comedy engraving in our collection is listed with its Field reference and its canto number, and each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Collectors should also be aware that an offset reproduction is sometimes called a "wood engraving" or a "lithograph", but that is incorrect, misleading and often with fraudulent intent.
Some of our listings state that the artwork bears the block signature of Dalí, so I recommend reading the description of any engraving that interests you, and we are always happy to answer questions about a particular work. Our Authenticity page explains that every artwork in our gallery is original, that we carry no reproductions of any kind, and that our Certificates of Authenticity are based on catalogue raisonné entries and other trusted references that can be verified by third-party authenticators. We stand behind every work as original with a lifetime guarantee.
Divine Comedy engravings in our collection
We currently have engravings from all three parts of the suite. Each one is an original wood engraving created between 1959 and 1963, and each measures 13" x 10.25". Prices in our collection range from $545 to $1,150.
A few examples show the range:
- Cerberus, Inferno, Canto 6, $545.
- The Minotaur, Inferno, Canto 12, which bears the block signature of Dalí, $925.
- The Mount of Geryon, Inferno, Canto 16, which also bears the block signature, $1,150.
- The Fallen Angel, Purgatorio, Canto 1, $1,100.
- The Highest Beauty of Beatrice, Paradiso, Canto 8, $545.
In Paradiso, Dante's love for Beatrice recalls the passion Dalí had for his wife, muse and model, Gala, and in some of Dalí's images of Paradiso the face and contours of Gala can clearly be recognised.
If you would like to bring together several cantos, most of our Divine Comedy listings offer a 10% discount when you purchase three or more works from the suite, and the discount is calculated at checkout.
Caring for a Divine Comedy wood engraving
Like all works on paper, a wood engraving can be harmed by light, by humidity and by acidic framing materials, and over the years this damage to its condition can considerably lower its value. With proper framing, careful display and suitable storage, however, these risks can be kept to a minimum and the artwork can be preserved for generations. Our Terminology page explains why acid-free materials are recommended for works on paper and for the mats and mounts with which they are framed.
Most of our engravings ship unframed unless otherwise arranged, so please contact us if you would like an artwork shipped framed. We ship worldwide, professionally packed and fully insured, and many of our artworks qualify for free, fully insured shipping.
Browse the Divine Comedy collection
You can see every engraving currently available in The Divine Comedy collection, or explore the wider Salvador Dalí collection. You are welcome to visit us at Canada Place, inside the Pan Pacific Hotel, Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm. If a particular engraving interests you, email gallery@chalirosso.com or call 604.733.3594 for a price and condition report.
Frequently asked questions
Are Dalí's Divine Comedy prints lithographs?
No. They are colour wood engravings, a relief technique in which the design is cut into the end grain of hard wood blocks. For the 100 images, 3,500 blocks were carved by Raymond Jacquet and Jean Taricco under Dalí's supervision. Lithography, by contrast, is a planographic technique in which the stone or plate is never carved.
How many engravings are in Dalí's Divine Comedy?
The suite consists of 100 wood engravings, one for each canto of Dante's poem: 34 for Inferno, 33 for Purgatorio and 33 for Paradiso. The suite is documented in Albert Field's Official Catalogue of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dalí on pages 189 to 200, and in Michler & Löpsinger's catalogue raisonné as numbers 1039 to 1138.
Are the Divine Comedy engravings signed by Dalí?
Some of the works in our collection bear the block signature of Dalí. Each of our listings states when a work bears the block signature, so please read the description of the engraving that interests you, or contact us and we will gladly answer any question about a specific work.
How much is a Salvador Dalí Divine Comedy engraving worth?
In our collection, Divine Comedy wood engravings are currently priced between $545 and $1,150; for example, Cerberus (Inferno, Canto 6) is $545 and The Mount of Geryon (Inferno, Canto 16) is $1,150. Each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. If you already own a work from the suite, we also provide independent appraisals for insurance, estate and charitable donation purposes.