The beginning of the Flood: men and women climb to higher ground at right, water overtaking animals and people at left, Noah's Ark beyond, from "Liber Genesis"
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 7/16 x 5 3/8 in. (8.8 x 13.7 cm) Plate: 3 1/4 x 5 3/16 in. (8.2 x 13.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.714.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this intricate 1612 engraving by Crispijn de Passe the, a Dutch master of the Northern Mannerist style, we witness the onset of the Biblical Flood from the Book of Genesis. Titled *The Beginning of the Flood*, the small plate (just over 3 by 5 inches) captures chaos in microcosm: at left, surging waters engulf panicked animals and hapless figures, while at right, men and women desperately scramble to higher ground. Looming in the distance, Noah's Ark offers a faint promise of salvation, heightening the tension between divine judgment and mercy. De Passe, renowned for his finely detailed re...