Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (died between 1283 and 1286) was an Italian noblewoman of

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, who was murdered by her husband, Giovanni Malatesta, upon his discovery of her affair with his brother, Paolo Malatesta. She was a contemporary of

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

, who portrayed her as a character in the ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...

''.

Life and death

Daughter of Guido I da Polenta of

, Francesca was wedded in or around 1275 to the brave, yet crippled Giovanni Malatesta (also called Gianciotto or "Giovanni the Lame"), son of Malatesta da Verucchio, lord of

Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...

. The marriage was a political one; Guido had been at war with the

Malatesta family The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and towns in Romagna and holding high positions in the government of cities in present-day Tuscany, Lombardy a ...

, and the marriage of his daughter to Giovanni was a way to secure the peace that had been negotiated between the Malatesta and the

Polenta Polenta (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or Grilling, grilled. The variety of cereal used is ...

families. While in

, she fell in love with Giovanni's younger brother, Paolo. Though Paolo, too, was married, they managed to carry on an affair for some ten years, until Giovanni ultimately surprised them in Francesca's bedroom some time between 1283 and 1286, killing them both.

In Dante's ''Divine Comedy''

1835 Ary Scheffer - The Ghosts of Paolo and Francesca Appear to Dante and Virgil

Francesca appears as a character in Dante's '' Inferno'', the first part of the ''Divine Comedy'', where she is the first soul damned in Hell proper to be given a substantive speaking role. Francesca's testimony and condemnation is the first historical record of her, laying the foundation for her remembrance and legacy. Dante's knowledge of Francesca most likely stemmed from her nephew, Guido Novello da Polenta, who served as Dante's host in Ravenna at the end of his life. In ''Inferno'' 5, Dante and

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

meet Francesca and her lover Paolo in the second circle of hell, reserved for the lustful. The couple are buffeted by violent winds in a similar manner that they allowed themselves to be swept away by their passions. Dante approaches Francesca and Paolo. Francesca tells their story while Paolo weeps in the background. She first introduces herself not by name, but by the city in which she was born; Francesca's self-association with the land implies a voluntary detachment from her personhood and a self-objectification. Dante's condemnation of Francesca stems from her complete refusal of agency. In her compelling speech to Dante, Francesca blames love as the agent of her sin. Francesca explains that Paolo loved her first and describes how "Love, which is swiftly kindled in the noble heart, seized this one for the lovely person that was taken from me; and the manner still injures me." She depicts herself as a passive agent who succumbed to Paolo's love for her. Francesca's description of love "seizing" her implies that she views herself as a helpless victim of her circumstance. She continues that, "Love, which pardons no one loved from loving in return, seized me for his beauty so strongly that, as you see, it still does not abandon me." Here, she affirms that her reciprocation of Paolo's affection was dictated by "Love" itself, rather than a genuine love that came from within. Again, she portrays herself as a passive victim, refusing to recognize her own agency. Finally, Francesca explains that "Love led us on to one death." Francesca does not accept responsibility for the origins nor the consequences of her affair. It is also important to underscore that Francesca and Paolo's adultery was enabled by literature. Francesca and Paolo's relationship began innocently while reading a tale about Lancelot du Lac. Francesca tells Dante that she "was kissed by so great a lover, he, who will never be separated from me, kissed my mouth, all trembling. Galeotto was the book and he who wrote it: that day we read there no further." Again, Francesca refers to herself as a passive object and assigns agency to literature that ''she'' reads. Ironically, if Paolo and Francesca had finished reading, they would have learned that Guinivere and Lancelot's adultery eventually destroys

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

's kingdom. Dante's literary portrayal of Francesca allows her to become a relevant example for moral agency. Dante portrays Francesca compassionately and assigns her a commanding and persuasive voice. Francesca is "never actively interrupted by any authoritative male voice, be it the pilgrim's, the narrator's or, importantly, her lover's, who is silently present at the scene of the testimony." Additionally, Francesca's persuasive power derives from her language, which echoes that of love poetry, especially from Dante's early poems. In this way, Francesca becomes a reflection of Dante himself. At the end of Francesca's testimony, Dante faints and "fell as a dead body falls." The pilgrim's symbolic death parallels Francesca's submission to her desires. Francesca becomes an "avatar of a persona that had been Dante's own." Learning from Francesca's faults allows the pilgrim to rectify his own relationship with literature. Though Dante condemns Francesca, his compassionate literary portrayal gives her a dignity and a historical significance that she was deprived of in real life. In other words, her historical legacy transcends her literary condemnation. File:Johann Heinrich Füssli - Dante Observing the Soaring Souls of Paolo and Francesca.jpg,

Henry Fuseli Henry Fuseli ( ; ; 7 February 1741 – 17 April 1825) was a Swiss painter, draughtsman, and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his successful works depict supernatural experiences, such as '' The Nightmare''. He pr ...

: ''Dante Observing the Soaring Souls of Paolo and Francesca'', pen and ink, c. 1800 File:Joseph Anton Koch - Dante and Virgil in the Second Circle in Hell.tif, Joseph Anton Koch: ''Dante and Virgil in the Second Circle in Hell'', pen, ink and watercolor on paper, 1823 File:Inf. 06 Giuseppe Frascheri, Dante e Virgilio incontrano Paolo e Francesca, 1846.jpg, Giuseppe Fraschieri: ''Dante e Virgilio incontrano Paolo e Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1846 (Civica Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Savona) File:Joseph Noel Paton - Dante Meditating.jpg, Joseph Noel Paton: ''Dante Meditating the Episode of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta'', oil on canvas, 1852 ( Bury Art Museum) File:Dore Gustave Francesca and Paolo da Rimini Canto 5 73-75.jpg,

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6January 1832 – 23January 1883) was a French printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravings illustrati ...

: ''The Souls of Paolo and Francesca'', wood-engraving, 1857 File:Gustave Doré - Paolo and Francesca da Rimini.jpg,

: ''The Souls of Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1863 File:Watts-Paolo and Francesca.jpg,

George Frederic Watts George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817 – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolism (arts), Symbolist movement. Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical works, such as ''Hope (Watts), Hop ...

: ''Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1875 ( Watts Gallery, Surrey) File:Inf. 06 Mosè Bianchi, Paolo e Francesca, 1877c.jpg, Mosè Bianchi: ''Paolo and Francesca'', watercolor and gold on paper, ( Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Milan) File:Henri Martin-Paolo Malatesta.jpg,

Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin Henri-Jean Guillaume "Henri" Martin (; 5 August 1860 – 12 November 1943) was a French Painting, painter. Elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1917, he has been described as a prolific master whose work has touches of melancholy, dreamines ...

: ''Paolo Malatesta et Francesca da Rimini aux enfers'', oil on canvas, 1883 (Musée des beaux-arts,

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

) File:Francesca de Rimini Auguste Rodin.jpg,

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

: ''Group Francesca de Rimini '' File:Paolo et Francesca ou couple damné - Auguste Rodin (B 1153-bis-n).jpg,

: ''Paolo et Francesca'', or ''Couple damné'' ( Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon) File:Eugène Deully - Dante et Virgile aux Enfers.jpg, Eugène Deully: ''Dante et Virgile aux Enfers'', 1897 File:Amelia Bauerle - Paolo and Francesca.jpg, Amelia Bauerle: ''Paolo and Francesca'', 1902 File:Umberto Boccioni - Il sogno (Paolo e Francesca).jpg,

Umberto Boccioni Umberto Boccioni (; ; 19 October 1882 – 17 August 1916) was an influential Italian painter and sculptor. He helped shape the revolutionary aesthetic of the Futurism movement as one of its principal figures. Despite his short life, his approach ...

: ''Il sogno'', or ''Paolo e Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1909 (Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna,

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

) File:Gaetano Previati - Paolo e Francesca (1909).jpg, Gaetano Previati: ''Paolo e Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1909 File:John Riley Wilmer - Paolo and Francesca.jpg, John Riley Wilmer: ''Paolo and Francesca'', watercolor, gouache and ink, 1930

Reception and legacy

Giovanni Boccaccio

In the years following Dante's portrayal of Francesca, legends about Francesca began to appear. Chief among them was one put forth by poet

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

in his commentary on the ''Divine Comedy'', '' Esposizioni sopra la Comedia di Dante.'' Boccaccio stated that Francesca had been tricked into marrying Giovanni through the use of Paolo as a proxy. Guido, fearing that Francesca would never agree to marry the crippled Giovanni, had supposedly sent for the much more handsome Paolo in Giovanni's stead. It wasn't until the morning after the wedding that Francesca discovered the deception. This version of events, however, is very likely a fabrication. It would have been nearly impossible for Francesca not to know who both Giovanni and Paolo were, and that Paolo was already married, given the dealings the brothers had had with Ravenna and Francesca's family. Also, Boccaccio was born in 1313, some 27 years after Francesca's death, and while many Dante commentators after Boccaccio echoed his version of events, none before him had mentioned anything similar.

Modern reception

In the 19th century, the story of Paolo and Francesca inspired numerous theatrical, operatic, and symphonic adaptations. In 2023, the musician Hozier released the single "Francesca" as part of his 2023 album '' Unreal Unearth''.

Related works

Poetry

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, ''The Story of Rimini'' (1816)

Theatre and opera

* Silvio Pellico, ''Francesca da Rimini'', tragedy (1818) * Feliciano Strepponi, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in two acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Padua 1823) * Luigi Carlini, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in two acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Naples 1825) *

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, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera (Madrid 1831) *

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, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera, libretto by Paolo Pola (Venice 1828) * Gaetano Quilici, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in two acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Lucca 1829) * Giuseppe Staffa, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in two acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Naples 1831) * Giuseppe Fournier-Gorre, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in two acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Livorno 1832) * Giuseppe Tamburini, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in three acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Rimini 1835) * Francesco Morlacchi, '' Francesca da Rimini'', opera (composed for Venice 1836, but unperformed) * Emanuele Borgatta, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in three acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Genoa 1837) * Gioacchino Maglioni, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera (Genoa 1840) * Eugen Nordal (pseudonym of Johann Arnold-Gruber), ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera after Paolo Pola (Linz 1840; performed

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

) * Salvatore Papparlado, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in four acts (Genoa 1840; unperformed) * Francesco Cannetti, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera, libretto by Felice Romani (Vicenza 1843) * Vincenzo Sassaroli, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera, libretto by Felice Romani (Catania 1846) * George Henry Boker, ''Francesca da Rimini'', play (1853) * Giovanni Franchini, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in three acts, libretto by Felice Romani (Lisbon 1857) *

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, ''Francesca di Rimini'', play (1860) * Giuseppe Marcarini, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera, libretto by Benvenuti (Piacenza 1870) * Hermann Goetz, ''Francesca von Rimini'', opera in three acts, libretto by the composer (Mannheim 1877; overture and act III completed by Ernst Frank) * Antonio Cagnoni, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in four acts, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni (Turin 1878) * Gabriele D'Annunzio, '' Francesca da Rimini'', tragedy (1901; written for D'Annunzio's mistress,

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) *

Ambroise Thomas Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (; 5 August 1811 – 12 February 1896) was a French composer and teacher, best known for his operas ''Mignon'' (1866) and ''Hamlet (opera), Hamlet'' (1868). Born into a musical family, Thomas was a student at the C ...

, '' Françoise de Rimini'', opera (Paris 1882) * Antonio Scontrino, ''Francesca da Rimini'', "tragedia" (in fact an opera) in five acts, libretto after D'Annunzio (Rome 1901) * Stephen Phillips, '' Paolo and Francesca'', play (1902) *

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, ''Francesca da Rimini'', play in five acts (1902) * Marcel Schwob, '' Francesca da Rimini'', play, translation of Crawford (given with music by Gabriel Pierné Paris 1902, Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt) * Eduard Nápravník, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in four acts (St. Petersburg 1902) *

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

, '' Francesca da Rimini'', opera in one act (two tableaux) with a prologue and an epilogue, libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky (Moscow 1906) * Luigi Mancinelli, ''Paolo e Francesca'', opera in one act (1907)''Paolo e Francesca''
opera by Luigi Mancinelli, booklet (synopsis, libretto), 2004 recording

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, ''Paolo és Francesca'', opera in three acts, libretto after Dante by Emil Ábrányi Sr. (Budapest 1912) * Franco Leoni, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera in three tableaux, based on Crawford's play (Paris 1914,

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

) * Primo Riccitelli, ''Francesca da Rimini'', opera * Riccardo Zandonai, '' Francesca da Rimini'', opera in four acts, libretto by Tito Ricordi, based on D'Annunzio (Turin 1914) * Nino Berrini, ''Francesca da Rimini'', play (1924) Rachmaninov Francesca da Rimini

Music

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, "Farò come colui che piange e dice", aria (musical setting of ''Inferno'', Canto 5, lines 126ff., 1848) *

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, ''Francesca da Rimini'', symphonic poem (1876) * Arthur Foote, Symphonic Prologue ''Francesca da Rimini'', Op. 24 (1890) *

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, ''Francesca da Rimini'', Symphonic Poem, Op. 77 (Berlin 1890) *

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, ''Francesca da Rimini'', Symphonic Poem, Op. 6 (1899) * Paul von Klenau, ''Francesca da Rimini'', Symphonic Poem (1913, revised 1919) * Olga Gorelli, ''Paolo e Francesca'', guitar duo from the album ''Hausmusik. 20th Century Chamber Music for the Home'' (2000) * Mediæval Bæbes, "The Circle of the Lustful" from '' The Rose'' album (2002) * Andrew Hozier-Byrne, "Francesca" from Unreal Unearth album (2023)

Film

* '' Paolo e Francesca'', 1950 film by

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Art

* Joseph Anton Koch, ''Paolo and Francesca Surprised by Gianciotto'',

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

(1805; Thorvaldsen Museum,

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) * Marie-Philippe Coupin de la Couperie, ''The Tragic Love of Francesca da Rimini'', oil on canvas (1812; Napoleonmuseum, Arenberg) *

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, '' Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas (1819;Musée des Beaux-Arts,

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, France) * Ary Scheffer, '' Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta Appraised by Dante and Virgil'', oil on canvas (1835;

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, London; an 1855 version is in the

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, Paris), and there are other versions *

, ''Francesca da Rimini'', several illustrations to

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

's ''Inferno'' (1857) *

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

, '' Paolo and Francesca da Rimini'' (1862) *

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French Painting, painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the Academic art, academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. He was Napoleon ...

, ''The Death of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta'', oil on canvas (1870;

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, Paris) *

, ''Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas (between 1872 and 1884; private collection) *

, '' The Kiss'', marble sculpture (1888;

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, Paris) File:Lux Musée national antonio canova paolo et francesca de rimini.JPG,

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: ''Paolo et Francesca da Rimini'' ( National Museum of History and Art,

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

) File:William Dyce - Francesca da Rimini - Google Art Project.jpg,

William Dyce William Dyce (; 19 September 1806 in Aberdeen14 February 1864) was a Scottish painter, who played a part in the formation of public art education in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, and the South Kensington Schoo ...

: ''Francesca da Rimini'', oil on canvas, 1837 (

Scottish National Gallery The National (formerly the Scottish National Gallery) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Play ...

, Edinburgh) File:Anselm Feuerbach - Paolo und Francesca - Kunsthalle Mannheim.jpg, Anselm Feuerbach: ''Paolo und Francesca'', study, 1864 ( Kunsthalle Mannheim) File:Anselm Feuerbach - Paolo und Francesca (drawing).jpg, Anselm Feuerbach: ''Paolo und Francesca'', sketch, 1864 File:Feuerbach Paolo und Francesca.jpg, Anselm Feuerbach: ''Paolo und Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1864 ( Schackgalerie, Munich) File:Amos Cassioli - Paolo e Francesca.jpg, Amos Cassioli: ''Paolo e Francesca'' or ''Il Bacio'', 1870 File:Charles Edward Hallé - Paolo and Francesca 01.jpg, Charles Edward Hallé: ''Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas File:Wiesiołowski - Francesca i Paolo 1885.jpg, Ludwik Wiesiołowski: ''Francesca i Paolo'', oil on canvas, 1885 File:Rodin TheKiss 20050609.JPG,

Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

's '' The Kiss'' (1888;

, Paris) was originally titled ''Francesca da Rimini'' File:Arnold Böcklin - Paolo und Francesca (1893).jpg, Arnold Böcklin: ''Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1893 (Museum Oskar Reinhart,

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

) File:Frank Dicksee - Paolo and Francesca.jpg, Frank Dicksee: ''Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1894 File:Joseph Anton Koch - Paolo da Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini surprised by Gianciotto Malatesta.tif, Joseph Anton Koch: ''Paolo da Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini surprised by Gianciotto Malatesta'', pen, ink and watercolor on paper, 1805 (

Thorvaldsen Museum The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish and Icelandic Neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844), who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life (1796–1838). The ...

) File:Bartolomeo Pinelli - La Franceschina di Rimini.jpg, Bartolomeo Pinelli: ''La Franceschina di Rimini'', c. 1809 (

, Copenhagen) File:FrancescaCoupin.jpg, Marie-Philippe Coupin de la Couperie: ''The Tragic Love of Francesca da Rimini'', 1812 (Napoleonmuseum, Arenenberg, Constance) File:Gianciotto Discovers Paolo and Francesca Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.jpg,

: ''Gianciotto Discovers Paolo and Francesca'', oil on canvas, 1819 ( Musée Bonnat,

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

) File:Eugène Delacroix - Paolo et Francesca.jpg,

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...

: ''Paolo et Francesca'', watercolor, 1825 File:Alfred Elmore - Paolo and Francisca.jpg, Alfred Elmore: ''Paolo and Francisca'', brush drawing
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British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

) File:Gustave Doré - The Inferno, Canto 5-2.jpg,

: Illustration of ''Inferno'', Canto 5 (lines 134–135), 1857 File:Francisca de Rímini (Museo del Prado).jpg, Francisco Díaz Carreño: ''Francisca de Rímini'', oil on canvas, 1866 ( Prado, Madrid) File:Alexandre cabanel, morte di francesca da rimini e paolo malatesta, 1870.JPG,

: ''Mort de Francesca de Rimini et de Paolo Malatesta'',
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, Paris) File:Gaetano Previati - Paolo e Francesca (1887 ca.).jpg, Gaetano Previati: ''Paolo e Francesca'', or ''Morte di Paolo e Francesca'', oil on canvas, c. 1887 ( Accademia Carrara di Belle Arti di Bergamo)

Notes

References

General references

* Mason, A. E. W. (1935). ''Sir George Alexander & The St. James' Theatre''. Reissued 1969, New York: Benjamin Blom. *

External links

''World of Dante''
multimedia website that includes gallery of images of the Paolo and Francesca episode

includes images of related artworks
''The Story of Rimini''
Google Books edition of Leigh Hunt's poem * Website of th

at the Centro Internazionale di Studi Francesca da Rimini, Los Angeles (includin

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rimini, Francesca da 13th-century births 13th-century deaths 13th-century Italian nobility 13th-century Italian women Assassinated Italian people Assassinated nobility Francesca Characters in the Divine Comedy Medieval assassinated people