Noah's Sacrifice, from "Illustrated London News"

Noah's Sacrifice, from "Illustrated London News"

Charles Cheltnam

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This print reproduces a large painting by Daniel Maclise (1847–53; Leeds Art Gallery). Noah stands at center next to a lamb on an altar, accompanied by family members and additional animals intended for sacrifice. In the background, the Ark rests on Mount Ararat as animals emerge from its open door, and a rainbow arches over the scene near heavenly beings. Noah's "Sacrificial Hymn" is printed below. While working on this painting, Maclise was commissioned to produce two large frescoes at the new Palace of Westminster devoted to British victories in the Napoleonic wars, and technical difficulties related to the unsuitability of that medium to the damp English climate occupied much of his time. "Noah's Sacrifice," as an oil on canvas, allowed the artist to work freely and demonstrate his skill with multi-figured compositions. Cheltnam's wood engraving was published in the "Illustrated London News" in December 1849, while Maclise was still at work, which may explain the schematic background.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Noah's Sacrifice, from "Illustrated London News"Noah's Sacrifice, from "Illustrated London News"Noah's Sacrifice, from "Illustrated London News"Noah's Sacrifice, from "Illustrated London News"Noah's Sacrifice, from "Illustrated London News"

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.