Entry into the ark: Noah and his family walk toward the ark in the background, pairs of animals walk up a ramp leading into the ark, from "Liber Genesis"

Art Historical Context

In this intricate 1612 engraving titled *Entry into the Ark*, artist Crispijn de Passe Elder captures a pivotal moment from the Book of Genesis: Noah and his family approaching the massive ark in the background, pairs of animals—elephants, giraffes, lions, and more—asc a ramp in orderly procession. Measuring just over 3 by 5 inches, the print's diminutive scale belies its teeming detail, showcasing de Passe's mastery as a leading engraver of the Northern Mannerist tradition during the Dutch Golden Age. Part of the illustrated series *Liber Genesis*, this work reflects the era's fascination with biblical narratives amid religious upheavals like the Reformation. De Passe, active in Antwerp and Utrecht, specialized in reproductive prints that made grand stories accessible through affordable book illustrations. The engraving technique—incising lines into a metal plate for inked impressions—allowed for exquisite textures, from the animals' fur to the ark's wooden planks, emphasizing divine order and humanity's covenant with God. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011), it invites visitors to ponder humanity's place among creation, blending faith, artistry, and the wonder of the natural world in a single, vivid frame.