The Circle of the Lustful; 1824-27 William Blake; This is the most celebrated of William Blake's illustrations to Dante's 'Divine Comedy' commissioned by John Linnell. Blake followed Dante's narrative; but his interpretation of the story is original. This scene illustrates the scene in the Inferno; the journey through Hell; when Dante and Virgil meet the adulterous lovers Francesca da Rimini and Paolo.; Watercolour; Dante; The Divine Comedy; Literature