The Divine Comedy illustrated by Salvador Dali is made up of 100 original color woodcuts and watercolors. Divided into six volumes, Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise is illustrated. The Divine Comedy illustrated by Salvador Dali represents the greatest illustrative work of the artist, "10 years of intense work" to paint it, "5 years" to engrave the 3500 woods needed to print, in progressive order, the 35 colors of the individual plates. The birth of this publishing enterprise dates back to 1950 in view of the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of the birth of Dante Alighieri, the Italian government commissioned Salvador Dali a series of illustrations of the Divine Comedy. However, due to the great controversy generated in Italy because the chosen artist was not Italian, the project was canceled. The project was resumed in France by Jean Estrade, who published the first edition of the Divine Comedy in 1963 for the editions Les Heures Claires, in total 5,346 copies were printed. In 1964 the Italian edition of the Divine Comedy published by Salani Editore appeared, a total of 3188 copies were printed by the Stamperia Valdonega on handmade paper by the Magnani Brothers of Pescia.
