The Struggle Between the Devil and St Francis of Assisi for the Soul of Guido da Montefeltro, plate three from Darstellungen aus Dante's Hölle

Art Historical Context

This dramatic etching by Joseph Anton Koch captures a pivotal moment from Dante’s Inferno, specifically the contested fate of Guido da Montefeltro. Plate three from the series Darstellungen aus Dante's Hölle (Representations from Dante’s Hell), created in 1807/08, depicts the devil and St. Francis of Assisi literally pulling at the soul of the cunning Ghibelline leader. Koch, an Austrian-born artist working in Rome during the height of Romantic interest in medieval literature, translated Dante’s vivid poetry into a visually intense confrontation that highlights themes of deception, repentance, and divine justice. Executed as an etching on paper, the work measures 40 × 31.6 cm and showcases the medium’s capacity for fine, expressive line work. Koch used dense cross-hatching and stark contrasts to heighten the supernatural tension, drawing viewers into the infernal struggle while maintaining a sense of theatrical clarity suited to print circulation. Created during a period when Dante’s Divine Comedy was experiencing renewed European fascination, Koch’s series helped bring the poet’s complex moral universe to new audiences through accessible graphic art. Today, this print in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection offers a compelling window into early nineteenth-century interpretations of one of Western literature’s most enduring texts.

About the Artist

Joseph Anton Koch · 1768–1839

Joseph Anton Koch, born on July 27, 1768, in the remote Tyrolean village of Elbigenalp, Austria, grew up tending his family's sheep amid the dramatic Alpine landscapes that would later define his art. At age 15, Bishop Umgelder recommended him for formal training, leading to studies at the Catholic seminary in Dillingen, with a court sculptor in Augsburg, and finally at the prestigious Hohe Karlss...