Noah and the Animals Entering the Ark

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Noah and the Animals Entering the Ark

Artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Italian, 1609-1664)

Dateabout 1650-1655

DimensionsOverall: 9 7/16 x 16 13/16 in. (240 x 427mm);
Image: 8 x 15 3/4 in. (20.3 x 40 cm)

MediumEtching on laid paper

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineWilliam J. Hitchcock Fund in Memory of Grace J. Hitchcock

Object number

2000.47

Not on View

DescriptionLine etching in black ink on laid cream paper

Label TextThe animals, grouped densely to one side of this composition, proceed to Noah’s waterborne ark at the left. Giovanni Castiglione is thought to have studied with a master of animal and still life painting and printmaking, Sinibaldo Scorza (Italian, 1589–1631), where he probably learned the art of etching. He continued to specialize in animal-filled biblical and mythological scenes throughout his career. This print is a prime example of Castiglione’s etching style. There is a controlled use of chiaroscuro reminiscent of that used so successfully by Rembrandt (see Rembrandt’s work in this exhibition). Castiglione also shared Rembrandt’s experimental inclination and continually refined his etching technique. He was one of the first to develop both the monotype and soft-ground etching (please see the Understanding Printmaking brochures located throughout this exhibition).Published ReferencesAnn Percy, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Master Draughtsman of the Italian Baroque (Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1971), p. 145, E24 Adam von Bartsch, Le Peintre graveur (Nouvelle ed.) (Leipzig: J. A. Barth, 1854-76), vol. 10, no. 1 Paolo BeExhibition HistoryTMA New Acquisitions in Graphic Arts, Dec. 21, 2001-March 30, 2002. TMA, The Dramatic Image: Baroque Prints of the 17th Century, February 25 - July 31, 2011.