The Painting by Domenico Di Michelino and Dante's Divine Comedy

In the painting by Domenico di Michelino Dante and His Poem the artist shows the three regions in the Christian afterlife. On the left is the procession of sinners being led down to the circles of Hell. Behind Dante the artist creates the seven terraces of Purgatory, with Adam and Eve representing Earthly Paradise on top.

Above Adam and Eve, is the sun and the moon that represent Heavenly Paradise. Ironically, the structure in the painting that the souls pass through as they descend into Hell is the Islamic house of prayer. In the poem, Dante singles out this building properly as being found in Hell.

You can see the souls in hell eternally pursuing a banner. In Dante's poem he states these are souls that are constantly pursued by wasps that sting them continuously.

Satan is depicted in Dante's poem as having three faces...one was in front, and each with a different color. It was fiery red. Satan is frozen in ice at the center of the earth according to the Dante poem. In the painting you see Satan as if he is in the midst fire and brimstone beneath the earth of the underworld. In Dante's underworld Satan is encased in ice because Satan is the antithesis of God.

The mountainous structure behind Dante is Purgatory. As Virgil and Dante climb the mountain, they find seven cornices on which penitent sinners get cleansed by God's grace.

The gate of Purgatory is guarded by an angel who is shown as an inset in the center of the cornices. The Angel uses the point of his sword to draw the letter "P" (signifying peccatum, sin) seven times on Dante's forehead.Dante must make his confession before he can be admitted through the gate.

There are seven sinful tendencies, which hinder man from being in the full harmony and will of God. These seven levels of purgatory correspond to the seven deadly sins. The artist has depicted these levels of Purgatory very well.

Each level of purgatory purges a particular sin in an appropriate manner. Souls move upwards since the intent of Purgatory is for souls to ascend towards God in Heaven.