Paradiso: the illuminations to Dante's Divine Comedy by Giovanni di Paolo

by John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy

Paradiso is the third part of Dante's celebrated La Divina Commedia (usually translated into English as 'The Divine Comedy'). The text is given here in the English prose translation of Charles Singleton. The introduction by Sir John Pope-Hennessy 'surveys contemporary illustration of Dante and discusses Giovanni di Paolo's work on the codex in the context of his artistic career'. The codex in question is the Yates-Thompson codex of Dante's work, 'created around 1445 for the library of the King of Naples', which is now in the British Museum. The 61 miniature paintings are 'now reproduced in colour for the first time'. (All quotes are taken from the blurb on the dust jacket.)

Genres: Art History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[J]

In its depth I saw ingathered, bound by love in one single volume, that which is dispersed in leaves throughout the universe: substances and accidents and their relations, as though fused together in such a way that what I tell is but a simple light. The universal form of this knot I believe that I saw, because, in telling this, I feel my joy increase.




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