Dante in Portogallo, uno sguardo etereo

Abstract

This work carries out a critical analysis of Dante Alighieri’s reception in nineteenth-century Portugal. The absolute admiration tributed to Dante coexists with a partial knowledge of his work. The generic image of the wronged bard, the herald of the country, the intrepid hero and the universal poet prevailed. In this context, the association between Dante Alighieri and Luís de Camões reflects the perfect harmony between the cultural climate that was breathed in Portugal and Italy. So much so that the sculptor of the funerary monument to Camões in the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Costa Mota, was the same sculptor who modeled the statue of an ethereal Beatrice, who watches over all travelers on the main Portuguese railway line.