Hope, though usually shown with an anchor, is twice mentioned by Dante as dancing. The book at which Faith is pointing is the scriptures. Charity is usually shown surrounded by children, as indeed in Blake's tempera painting of the subject (Butlin 1981, no.428, pl.494). The reason she wears a crown rather than a wreath is that Blake disliked Dante's association of Beatrice with Minerva Dante describes Beatrice as wearing the ‘fronde di Minerva’ (XXX, 68). In Canto XXXI Dante has crossed Lethe and Beatrice is shown at the moment when she draws aside her veil. Fuller however disputes this, suggesting that, despite Blake's inscription, the scene is actually that described in Canto XXXI of Purgatorio with elements taken from the previous two Cantos. Dante is thus shown as choosing the wrong way out of Beulah, Blake's equivalent for Purgatory. The divergences from Dante's text, such as the vortex that acts as the wheel of the car, the gold crown substitued for Beatrice's olive wreath, the book towards which Faith is pointing, the child-like forms surrounding Charity, and the fact that Dante is shown having now crossed the river Lethe, are taken to suggest that Blake is depicting the subjection of the Poetic Genius (Dante) to the Female Will (Beatrice) the latter is equated with Rahab, the fallen state of Vala, Blake's goddess of nature, the three attendant figures with the Daughters of Memory, and the Evangelists with the four Zoas. This is one of the key works in Roe's interpretation of the series as in part a criticism of Dante. Roe 1953, pl.87, Klonsky 1980, pl.90 in colour, and Gizzi 1983, p.168) shows the poet's first view of Beatrice on the car (or chariot) seen across the river Lethe Virgil has now left Dante at the borders of Purgatory itself and Dante is escorted by Matilda, probably the Grancomtessa of Tuscany (1046–1115), a great benefactor of the Holy See and Church. The previous illustration, now in the British Museum (Butlin 1981, no.812 87, repr. For Dante the gryphon and Beatrice symbolised Christ and the Church, and the three girls (in white, green and red) Faith, Hope and Charity the figures at the four corners of the car are the four Evangelists. This is an illustration to Purgatorio XIX, 92–129, XXX, 31–3 and 64–81, and XXXI, 113–14 and 130–45 the scene takes place in the Terrestial Paradise. PROVENANCE As for N03351 EXHIBITED RA 1893 (27) Paris and Vienna 1937 (27) Paris, Antwerp, Zurich and Tate Gallery 1947 (29v, repr.) Hamburg and Frankfurt 1975 (215, colour pl.15) Tate Gallery 1978 (334, repr.) Pescara 1983 (18, repr.in colour). Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the National Art-Collections Fund, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the National Art-Collections Fund 1919. upside down and ‘24’ turned through a right-angle ![]() ![]() and, on reverse in pencil, ‘Pg Canto 29’ b.r. Inscribed ‘P-g Canto 29 & 30’ in ink b.r. N03369 Beatrice Addressing Dante from the Car 1824–7
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