Artwork
Noah Leaving the Ark
Noah Leaving the Ark is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Giulio Bonasone. It dates from 1544 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Giulio Bonasone’s 1544 engraving, titled *Noah Leaving the Ark*, is executed on laid paper. The print captures the moment after the biblical flood when Noah, his family, and the gathered fauna emerge from the vessel onto a rugged shoreline. The composition is densely populated, presenting a multitude of human figures and animals within a compact visual field.
Subject & Meaning
The image illustrates the scriptural narrative of post‑deluge exodus, emphasizing the reunion of humanity with the animal kingdom. Central figures are seated on a rocky bank, surrounded by lions, goats, birds and other creatures, suggesting a restoration of order after chaos. The dark, turbulent sky reinforces the lingering aftermath of the flood.
Technique & Style
Bonasone employs fine, intersecting lines to model form and generate chiaroscuro, giving depth to the crowded scene. The engraving’s texture is achieved through cross‑hatching and varied line weight, which delineates the rough terrain, foliage, and the myriad of animal skins. The precision of the incised lines reflects the influence of contemporary Italian printmakers.
History & Provenance
Born in Bologna around 1498, Bonasone was active in Mantua, Rome and Venice, working after the designs of older masters as well as his own. Though details of the print’s early ownership are scarce, it survives in several European collections, indicating its circulation among connoisseurs of mid‑16th‑century Italian engraving.
Context
The work belongs to a period when biblical subjects were frequently rendered for devotional and educational purposes in print form. Bonasone’s association with artists such as Lorenzo Sabbatini and Marcantonio Raimondi situates the engraving within a network of workshops that disseminated religious imagery across Italy and beyond.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Giulio Bonasone (c. 1498 – after 1574) (or Giulio de Antonio Buonasone or Julio Bonoso) was an Italian painter and engraver born in Bologna. He possibly studied painting under Lorenzo Sabbatini, and painted a Purgatory…
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