Journey through the Dante Urbinate: Purgatory, Canto II. The angel boatman

Having reached the shore of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil see the arrival of the angel boatman who appears luminous on his ship in the sea.

Here they meet the spirit of Casella, a friend of Dante’s who approaches them out of curiosity at seeing a living person in that place. A group of penitent souls follows him and all of them, as Casella, are naked. Cato appears on the left, still wearing his red suit with the iridescent violet jacket, as he is urging the souls not to dither and to hurry to the top of the mount, while on the path there are other souls who are fearful of Cato.

Guglielmo Giraldi and workshop.

Source: La Divina Commedia di Federico da Montefeltro. Il Dante Urbinate. Commentario.

Illumination from Dante Alighieri’s Divina Commedia, Ms. Urb. lat. 365, f. 100r, 1478-1482, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.

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