Book Title: Dante's Inferno; Translated by the Rev. Henry Francis Cary, M.A. from the original of Dante Alighieri, and illustrated with the designs of M. Gustave Doré.

Author: Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321

Image Title: Minos

Description: Plato tells us that Minos, former King of Crete and keeper of the famous Labyrinth, judged the souls of the dead in conjunction with two other mythical kings, Rhadamanthus and Aeacus. Virgil and Dante encounter Minos in this function as they prepare to enter the next circle of Hell. Although the text has him standing, Doré has chosen to portray him at such a large scale so as to highlight the power he has over the souls begging for mercy before him. The engraver, Gaston Raymond Ernest Monvoisin (19th c.), has placed his signature at the bottom right, while the artist, Gustave Doré (1832-1888), has placed his signature at the bottom left.

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