![This halftone reproduction of a water-colour drawing by William Blake illustrating Dante’s Inferno appears in portrait orientation. The image shows two central figures with their back to the viewer standing at the gate [“portico”] of hell and about to enter. On either side of the portal is a tall tree with leaves swirling around the trunk, extending the entire height of the image.. The mirroring trees have roots that creep towards each other toward the centre bottom of the image. The two lightly robed figures [the poets Dante and Virgil] stand in front of these roots, on a threshold that leads into a vision of hell. The figure on the left is standing with his left arm lifted straight up and palm turned up to the sky. He is in mid-step, with his right leg lagging slightly behind and lifted as if it were about to step forwards. His face is turned to look up at his left hand, and his light-coloured hair falls down his back. His right arm is extended down and slightly to his right, reaching towards the other figure. The other figure mirrors the first in having the outside arm, this time their right arm, extended up and out to the side. This figure has shorter hair, and has their face turned toward the other figure, giving the viewer a three-quarters profile. Both figures are wearing a transparent veil of material surrounding their legs and draping around their feet. Through the threshold of the gates of hell there is a path, a sea, and a series of five layers of hills and jagged triangular shapes. The hills are shaded in an ombre effect, going from dark at the top edge to light near the bottom. There appears three roughly sketched figures atop the second hill from the front. Across the surface of the portal appears various random streaks of shading. In the small section above the portal is the open sky. In the bottom right corner of the page appears the text: “HELL [caps] Canto 3” [citing Dante’s Inferno].](http://beta.1890s.ca/wp-content/uploads/SAVOYV3_icon4_blake_portico.jpg "SAVOYV3_icon4_blake_portico")
MLA citation:
Blake, William. “The Passing of Dante and Virgil Through the Portico of Hell.” The Savoy, vol. 3, July 1896, p. 43. The Savoy Digital Edition, edited by Christopher Keep and Lorraine Janzen Kooistra 2018-2019. Yellow Nineties 2.0, Ryerson University Centre for Digital Humanities, 2019, https://1890s.ca/savoyv3_blake_portico/