The Deluge 1519 - 1529

This engraving called The Deluge was created by Jan van Scorel. Though undated, it was likely made in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 16th century. The image depicts a scene of destruction taken straight from the Book of Genesis. Humans struggle against rising waters, and a lone boat floats in the background. Scorel’s Deluge is part of a visual tradition that includes some of the most important monuments of the Renaissance, but in this work, classical ruins dominate the background. The classical ruins reflect the burgeoning discipline of archaeology. The ruins act as a warning about the transience of human achievement. In interpreting this image, a historian might research the history of this subject in art, and the cultural significance of the Bible in the Netherlands. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.