The artwork, titled “Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat (obverse),” was created by Hieronymus Bosch approximately in the year 1514. This oil on panel painting is associated with the Northern Renaissance art movement and falls under the genre of religious painting. The artwork is currently housed in the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen located in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
“Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat (obverse)” portrays the biblical scene where Noah’s Ark has come to rest on Mount Ararat following the great flood. In the upper part of the artwork, the ark is depicted resting on a rugged mountain top, with groups of people and animals appearing to emerge from it and dispersing down the slopes. Despite the grimness of the event, characterized by many lifeless figures and animals strewn across the landscape, the painting also captures a sense of salvation and survival, as other figures and animals appear to be alive and moving. The coloration is muted, dominated by shades of brown and gray, which adds to the somber mood of the scene. The artwork, though detailed in its complexity, exudes a haunting and reflective tone that calls to mind themes of destruction, survival, and renewal central to the narrative of Noah’s Ark.
