Mankind Before the Flood

Art Historical Context

Jan Sadeler I’s “Mankind Before the Flood,” created around 1585–1600, presents a dramatic biblical scene from the Book of Genesis. The engraving captures humanity’s moral decline before Noah’s deluge, inviting viewers to contemplate themes of sin, judgment, and redemption. Rendered on ivory laid paper and measuring 34.6 by 45.1 centimeters, the work belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings collection and reflects the era’s deep interest in religious storytelling through reproducible art. Engraving was a prized medium in the late sixteenth century, allowing artists to translate intricate designs into precise lines that could reach wide audiences across Europe. Sadeler’s technique emphasizes fine detail and tonal contrast, qualities that made prints essential tools for education and devotion during the Counter-Reformation. Such works often circulated moral lessons in homes and churches where large paintings were unavailable. The subject matter underscores the period’s fascination with humanity’s frailty and divine order. By focusing on the moments preceding catastrophe, the engraving encourages reflection on virtue and consequence, themes that resonated strongly with contemporary viewers.

About the Artist

Jan Sadeler, I · 1550–1600

Jan Sadeler I (1550–1600) was born in Brussels and became the most prominent member of the largest and most successful dynasty of Flemish printmakers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Sadeler family — which included Jan's brothers Aegidius and Raphael — produced an extraordinary volume of engravings that circulated across Catholic Europe, disseminating images of religious subjects, p...