Donati Transformed into a Serpent; Francesco de'Cavalcanti Retransformed into a Man (from Dante's "Divine Comedy") 1824 - 1827

Editor: This is William Blake's "Donati Transformed into a Serpent; Francesco de'Cavalcanti Retransformed into a Man" from Dante's "Divine Comedy." I'm struck by the raw, almost unfinished quality of the watercolor. What’s your take on this piece? Curator: Blake's engagement with Dante is fascinating through a materialist lens. He uses readily available, relatively inexpensive materials to depict a scene of profound transformation. The thin washes emphasize the instability, reflecting the changing social and material conditions of his time. What do you make of the serpent’s scale? Editor: It seems almost too small, less a monstrous threat and more like discarded material. It makes me wonder if Blake considered how materials themselves can be symbols of power or lack thereof? Curator: Precisely. The serpent, a symbol of transgression, is rendered almost pathetic. Blake seems to be commenting on the shifting values and the material realities that underpinned even the most profound spiritual narratives. Editor: That’s a really interesting perspective. I had not thought about Blake's material choices in that way before.