God carried by angels, appearing to Noah and his family, after the Flood
Original title: God carried by angels, appearing to Noah and his family, after the Flood
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1513–15 Marcantonio Raimondi engraved this biblical scene, in which God, borne aloft by angels, comes to Noah and his family after the Flood. The figures are rendered in a densely detailed visual language schooled on historical models.
Description
Barefoot and in a long robe, God approaches through the air on the shoulders of several angels. One hand is outstretched as he nears the entrance of a wooden structure. There Noah kneels, lifting his gaze, with his wife and children gathered around him. The print stays monochrome; fine hatching and linework give volume to the bodies and the architecture.
Context
Raimondi, an Italian Renaissance engraver, is best known for his reproductive prints after works by Raphael. Through the years around 1513–15 he worked closely with Raphael. The subject follows the book of Genesis, in which God establishes his covenant with Noah after the Flood.
Impact
A stillness radiates from the sheet: the calm arrangement and restrained linework leave the viewer solemn, almost reverent. That God appears here among the angels underscores the moment of divine presence and lends it something removed from the world.
Technique
For this engraving the lines were cut into a metal plate and then printed onto paper. This allowed great precision of detail and subtle transitions between light and shadow, as visible in the hatching and cross-hatching across the sheet.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)