Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Building of Noah’s Ark
Workers gather around the towering framework of a ship supported by immense timbers. Rough ground, tools and upright beams turn the foreground into an active building site. The caption belongs to the Book XI vision of the vessel later associated with the flood. Doré shows preparation rather than the completed ark upon water, making foresight a task performed through materials and labour. The unfinished frame greatly exceeds the workers' scale. Its open ribs give the image a skeletal clarity, while the dark support timbers convey the effort needed to make such a structure stand.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Building of Noah’s Ark" [editorial title]. In Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré, John Milton; illustrated by Gustave Doré; edited by Henry C. Walsh. Undated John W. Lovell Company edition; exact publication year unverified, undated edition, John W. Lovell Company. Source scan leaf 348. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/milton-dore-347
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Original source design and caption inspected; composition retained with scan margins trimmed. No reconstructed or recoloured details.
Sources
From the book
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave DoréJohn Milton; illustrated by Gustave Doré; edited by Henry C. WalshUndated editionMore from this book
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). The Building of Noah’s Ark. Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré. Scan leaf 348. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/milton-dore-347