# Dante and Virgil in the Underworld [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [NAPOLETANO, Filippo]() - Date: 1601-1650 - Technique: Oil on slate, oval 44 x 60 cm ## Commentary Dante and Virgil in the Underworld c. 1622 Oil on slate, oval 44 x 60 cm Private collection The subject of the painting, depicting odd skeletal creatures, is inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the author describes his visit to the underworld with Virgil. Two standard features of Dante's Hell are included: Charon's boat, and Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the underworld. The huge arched structure is based on the ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius, making it likely that the picture was painted in Rome. ## Related artworks - [Naval Battle]() - [River Landscape]() - [Seller of Snails]() - [Two Shells]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()