Noah, his Family and the Animals Enter the Ark
Noah, his Family and the Animals Enter the Ark
Noah, his Family and the Animals Enter the Ark
Noah, his Family and the Animals Enter the Ark

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Noah, his Family and the Animals Enter the Ark,

1859

Theodor Grosse, German, 1829–1891
1997-27
Grosse was a mid-nineteenth-century German painter who specialized in painting historical subjects in the ancient medium of fresco. Following his studies at the Dresden Academy, the artist traveled to Florence and Rome. Drawn in Rome in the fifteenth-century technique of silverpoint, this refined drawing of Noah and his family recalls paintings by Domenico Ghirlandaio and other Early Renaissance masters whose works Grosse would have studied while in Italy.
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More Context

<p>The Old Testament story of the Deluge has been depicted frequently in Christian art since antiquity, when the salvation of Noah and the Ark represented the possibility of redemption from past sins, and the promise of future resurrection. By the fifteenth century the conception of the Ark as floating upon a flood that engulfs the unfaithful had become symbolic of the strength and safety of the Church itself. In the first of these two drawings, following God’s command, Noah leads his family and the animals into the newly built Ark, leaving the old world to its fate. In the second, having survived the flood, Noah and his family offer sacrifice to God, in thanks for having led them into a world reborn. </p> <p>Calvin Brown, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings, Princeton University Art Museum<br></p>

Information

Title
Noah, his Family and the Animals Enter the Ark
Dates

1859

Maker
Theodor Grosse
Medium
Silverpoint
Dimensions
32.5 x 45 cm (12 13/16 x 17 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Felton Gibbons Fund
Object Number
1997-27
Inscription
in silverpoint, lower right: Rom. Nov. 1859
Culture
German
Type
drawings
Materials
wove paper
Techniques
silverpoint (technique)
Subject
men, women, figures (representations), angels, Animals, bible stories, religious art

Purchased From Kate Ganz, London. (See reference Bib. 4829) [title not held at PUL, so can't confirm definitely that 1997-27 is in catalogue--AW 6/16/16];

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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