Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Deluge
A crowded group clings to a rock as waves surround them; a large cat holds its young above the water nearby. Doré gathers human and animal bodies around the same shrinking refuge. Outstretched arms and the pale surf pull in opposed directions, making the rock appear both necessary and insufficient. The picture concerns the biblical flood narrative rather than an independently documented catastrophe. Its force comes from the shared effort to remain above water as familiar distinctions give way to immediate danger.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Deluge" [editorial title]. In The Bible Gallery, Gustave Dore; Talbot W. Chambers. Undated Cassell & Company edition; one hundred illustrations with supplied descriptive letterpress, undated edition, Cassell & Company, Limited. Source scan leaf 25. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/bible-dore-24
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Complete plate reviewed against the scan; printed caption supplies subject. Crop excludes surrounding paper and separate caption without changing scan tone. Letterpress theology is not adopted as historical proof.
Sources
From the book
The Bible GalleryGustave Dore; Talbot W. ChambersUndated editionMore from this book
All 98 illustrations
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). The Deluge. The Bible Gallery. Scan leaf 25. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/bible-dore-24