The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 13, 2024

Noah: The Eve of the Deluge

Noah: The Eve of the Deluge

1848
(British, 1792–1882)
England, 19th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 168.5 x 242.5 x 9.5 cm (66 5/16 x 95 1/2 x 3 3/4 in.); Unframed: 146 x 221 cm (57 1/2 x 87 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1972.119
Location: 203B British Painting and Decorative Arts

Did You Know?

Linnell was an extremely versatile artist who worked in oils and watercolors, painted miniatures on ivory, and was skilled as an engraver.

Description

This painting powerfully illustrates changes in taste over time. Before it was even completed, the painting was purchased for the considerable sum of £1,000 by a newly wealthy industrialist who admired John Linnell’s modern approach to religious subjects. In 1913, however, the painting was sold at auction for only £130. Victorian painting had fallen out of favor among collectors who did not appreciate Linnell’s hotly colored landscapes that combined biblical stories and poetry (in this case Milton’s Paradise Lost) with close study of the English landscape. Linnell was also known for financially supporting the destitute and elderly William Blake, whose mesmerizing painting of Saint Matthew is in the museum's collection.
  • 1847-1872
    Sold to Joseph Gillott [1799-1872], Birmingham, United Kingdom, May 1847, before the work was completed.
    1872
    (Christie's, London, United Kingdom, April 19-20 and 26-27, and May 3-4, 1872, sale, lot 137, sold to J. Rhodes for Angus, 1st Lord Holden)
    1872-1913
    Angus 1st Lord Holden [1833-1912], Nun Appleton House, Bolton Percy, England
    1913
    (Christie's, London, United Kingdom, July 18, 1913, Holden Sale, lot 64, sold to Bale. Mrs. C. Hunter)
    1972
    (Sotheby's, London Belgravia sale, February 22, 1972, lot 98, sold to Jeremy Maas, with Herner Wengraf, London)
    1972
    (Herner Wengraf, London, United Kingdom, 1972, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1972-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1972.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 60, no. 3 (March 1973): 63–115. Reproduced: p. 82; Mentioned: p. 109, no. 121 www.jstor.org
    Firestone, Evan R. “John Linnell: The Eve of the Deluge.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 62, no. 4 (April 1975): 131–39. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 131-132, fig. 1 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 208 archive.org
    Talbot, William S. “A Victorian Portrait by Frederick Sandys.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 67, no. 10 (December 1980): 299–309. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 298, fig. 1 www.jstor.org
    Argencourt, Louise d', and Roger Diederen. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 4. European Paintings of the 19th Century. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 399-401, Vol. II, no. 138
  • British Gallery Reinstallation (June 2020). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    Landscape of the Bible: Sacred Scenes in European Master Paintings. Israel Museum, 91710 Jerusalem, Israel (organizer) (September 5, 2000-January 31, 2001).
    Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).
    Royal Academy, London, United Kingdom (1848).
    Mechanic's Institute, Bradford, England (1873).
    Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Royal Academy, London, United Kingdom (1883).
  • {{cite web|title=Noah: The Eve of the Deluge|url=false|author=John Linnell|year=1848|access-date=13 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.119