Ark van Noach
1650 - 1655
Medium
etching
Dimensions
404; 206
About this artwork
height 206 mm x width 404 mm
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione’s “Ark van Noach” (Noah’s Ark), created between 1650 and 1655, captures the biblical story of the great flood in a wide, panoramic etching. Measuring just over 20 centimeters high and 40 centimeters across, the elongated format allows the artist to spread out a lively procession of animals toward the ark, emphasizing both the vastness of the gathering and the intimate details of individual creatures. Castiglione, an Italian Baroque master known for his expressive printmaking, excelled in the etching technique. The medium’s fine, fluid lines enabled him to render...
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione · 1609–1664
Versatile and eclectic artist open to foreign influence which was unusual for an Italian artist of his time. Some of his best-known works are somewhat fantastical. He was court painter at Mantua from 1648. Comment on works: Religious; Landscapes; Animals; Mythology.