Francis Danby

The Deluge

?c.1840

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In Tate Britain

Walk Through British Art: 1840

Free entry

Artist: Francis Danby 1793–1861
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: Support: 707 x 1099 mm
frame: 845 x 1220 x 80 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased 1953
Reference: N06134

Display caption

This painting is a smaller version of the large-scale painting Danby exhibited in 1840. The subject is from the Old Testament book of Genesis. God sends a flood to punish mankind’s wickedness but allows Noah and his family to be saved. Noah’s ark is in the background, illuminated by a shaft of moonlight. A stormy sea rages round a rocky peak and massive tree branches, to which humans and animals are clinging desperately. A blood-red sun can be seen setting to the left. In the lower right hand corner, an angel weeps over the death of a child.

Gallery label, November 2016

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