Reading Dante’s Paradise on the 700-Year Anniversary of His Death

To mark 700 years since Dante’s death, the Uffizi Galleries are displaying a never-seen-in-full exhibit of Divine Comedy illustrations by painter Federico Zuccari. ‘To Rebehold the Stars’ — a title picked from Dante’s words — is a collection of 88 red and black ink drawings. According to an article in Airmail News, the show includes “28 sketches of hell, 49 of purgatory and 11 of heaven,” along with text from Dante. A number of the sketches were shown in Florence in 1865 and in Abruzzo 1993, but have never been displayed as a full collection until now. The exhibit is available to view virtually. 

“Comprising both text and images, the virtual medium also opens up the possibility of breaking free of Dante’s linear narration,” Eike Schmidt, Uffizi’s director, told Airmail. “You can jump around to different drawings and personalize your viewing experience.”  

Here at CALA, we’re commemorating Dante through our Spring 2021 course, “Reading Dante’s Paradise.” This course is the final leg of our favorite pilgrim’s trip through the afterlife’s three realms —  we bid adieu to Virgil and enter Paradise, as Dante completes his personal journey to spiritual salvation. The course begins Feb. 26, so register today!

Register for “Reading Dante’s Paradise” here.

View the Uffizi Gallery exhibit here.