In 1824, Blake's friend the artist John Linnell, commissioned him to make a series of illustrations based on Dante's Divine Comedy. Blake was then in his late sixties. A contemporary account informs us that he designed 100 watercolours of this subject 'during a fortnight's illness in bed'.

Here we present seven pictures from Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Each picture is accompanied by an explanation and an original audio recording from the 1812 translation of Dante that Blake himself used when making his designs. So this is your chance to learn not just about Blake, but also about the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321).

Before looking at Blake's illustrations, why not listen to the famous opening lines of the Divine Comedy? Just click on one of the formats in the 'Listen' box above.