1949.48 Anonymous, The Drunkenness of Noah | DMA Staging Content Management System

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This print was removed from a copy of the Liber Chronicarum, which is more commonly known as the Nuremberg Chronicle after the city in which it was created in 1493. The subject comes from the Old Testament book of Genesis (9:21–23), which recounts an episode when Noah drinks too much wine and passes out naked in his tent. Upon finding him in this state, his son Ham mocks him while his other two sons, Shem and Japheth, cover his body with a garment. Here, the setting shifts from a tent to a vineyard, which symbolizes the cause of his drunken stupor. Using gestures, facial expressions, and the names of the protagonists, the printmakers masterfully evoke the narrative through minimal means. This image was originally placed at the bottom of the page, below a passage of text and an illustration of the family tree of Shem, who is often Noah’s first-mentioned son.

Excerpt from

Nicole Myers, DMA label copy, 2018.

NOTES

c. 1483-1495

Checked Piction

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Printed by Anton Koberger (Germany, c. 1440-1513): ULAN: 500099199

Cultures

Geography

Place of origin: Nuremberg (Germany): TGN: 7004334

Process/materials

Hand-colored woodcut on paper

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

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PROVENANCE

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WEB RESOURCES

World Digital Library~Explore a copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle from the Library of Congress's digital library.

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FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES

Apply to objects where number equals 1949.48

General Description

This print was removed from a copy of the Liber Chronicarum, which is more commonly known as the Nuremberg Chronicle after the city in which it was created in 1493. The subject comes from the Old Testament book of Genesis (9:21–23), which recounts an episode when Noah drinks too much wine and passes out naked in his tent. Upon finding him in this state, his son Ham mocks him while his other two sons, Shem and Japheth, cover his body with a garment. Here, the setting shifts from a tent to a vineyard, which symbolizes the cause of his drunken stupor. Using gestures, facial expressions, and the names of the protagonists, the printmakers masterfully evoke the narrative through minimal means. This image was originally placed at the bottom of the page, below a passage of text and an illustration of the family tree of Shem, who is often Noah’s first-mentioned son.