Dante's Mask

I was asked to texture and render three version of what was believed to be Dante's Death mask, inspired by Hell,Purgatory and Heaven in Dante's Divina Commedia.

Hell
Dante's Hell is divided into nine circles, the ninth circle being divided further into four rings. Satan sits in the last ring,where the worst sinners, the betrayers to their benefactors, are frozen into the ice, completely unable to move or speak.
Lucifer is depicted as a three headed beast with bat like wings and everytime he beats his wings, he creates a cold wind that freezes everything that surrounds him.
This particular description of Hell, all cold and ice and so far from the flames and fire we are used to, is what inspired me while designing this first version of the mask.
Also, if you look close, you may notice some shiny dots on the top part of the head and laurel crown, this being a reference to the fact that the last line in each Cantica has a reference to the stars.
In this case : "Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars"

Purgatory
Dante describes the Purgatory as a stony island-mountain in the southern emisphere. At the summit of Mount Purgatory there is the Garden of Eden depicted as a verdant forest crossed by two rivers, one that erases the memories of the sins committed and the other that strenghten those of the good deeds.
All these elements are represented in the mask through the use of the different materials and colors.
Also, if you look close, you may notice some shiny dots on the top part of the head and laurel crown, this being a reference to the fact that the last line in each Cantica has a reference to the stars.
In this case " I was pure and prepared to climb unto the stars".

Heaven.
Paradise is depicted as a series of nine concentric spheres or skyes containing stars and planets and surrounding the Earth, God being pure light at the top of everything.
In the model, the gradient from blue to gold isn't just a reference to the skies and the holy, but it also symbolizes Dante's journey through the nine skies of heaven to get used to an increasing light intensity that culminates with God.
My mainly inspo behind this version of the mask was also Rosa Celeste by Gustave Dorè
https://twitter.com/archaeologyart/status/1551975915521036290
Also, if you look close, you may notice some shiny dots on the top part of the head and laurel crown, this being a reference to the fact that the last line in each Cantica has a reference to the stars.
In this case : "By the Love that moves the sun and the other stars."

The last two images are, respectively, the version of the Hell mask that was chosen and another desing for Paradise.