Entry of the animals into Noah's ark, three men follow quadrupeds and birds striding toward the ark in the background, another male figure points the way
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 8 1/8 × 15 7/8 in. (20.7 × 40.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.525
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this dynamic etching titled *Entry of the Animals into's Ark*, Giovanni Benedettoiglione, known as Il Grechetto1609–1664), captures a biblical scene from Genesis with vivid energy. Created around 1650–55, the composition shows a procession of quadrupeds—c, dogs, horses, and sheep—striding toward the ark in the background, guided by three men and a pointing figure. Castiglione, a Genoese Baroque master renowned for his pastoral and animal subjects, infuses the work with a sense of lively movement, blending religious narrative with his signature naturalism. As one of the earliest Italian art...
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto) · 1609–1664
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, known as Il Grechetto, was baptized on March 23, 1609, in Genoa and died on May 5, 1664, in Mantua. Born into a large family, he collaborated closely with his brother Salvatore, an artist who shared his talents, and later taught his son Francesco, whose works were sometimes confused with his own. His parents placed him in the studio of Giovanni Battista Paggi, where...