Unidentified Antwerp Painter Circa 1590/1600, The Destruction Of The Tower Of Babel

Unidentified Antwerp painter, circa 1590/1600
The Destruction of the Tower of Babel
Oil on panel: 61.2 x 86.2 cm
Unsigned
Frame: 79.4 x 105.5 cm

The Tower of Babel is one of the most emblematic subjects of Flemish humanist painting of the second half of the 16th and the first quarter of the 17th century. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells of God's anger against man who attempted to build a tower reaching to heaven. He then created all sorts of languages, preventing the builders from understanding each other; the tower was never completed.

A significant number of paintings depicting the Tower of Babel were once attributed to Hendrick van Cleve III, although none are signed. We now know that these paintings were made during the last quarter of the 16th and the first quarter of the 17th century by Antwerp painters who are still unidentified.

Our painting represents the destruction of the Tower: it is a rare subject, rarely painted or engraved.

All my paintings stand fully documented on my website:
https://www.jeanmoust.com/categories/biblical-mythological-and-allegorical-scenes/unidentified-antwerp-painter-circa-1590-1600-tower-of-babel/the-destruction-of-the-tower-of-babel-5358823