The Subsiding of the Waters of the Deluge
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Object Details
- Artist
- Thomas Cole, born Bolton-le-Moors, England 1801-died Catskill, NY 1848
- Gallery Label
- Thomas Cole envisioned America as a new start for civilization. In his mind, the American Revolution was like the biblical story of the Great Flood, sweeping away the despotism of the British Crown. In this painting the waters from that Flood subside, suggesting a peaceful future for the young republic. A lone skull resting against the rocks suggests that the world has been washed clean of human folly. At the center of the painting, bathed in light, a dove flies toward land as the ark floats on the calm waters, ready to usher in a new and more enlightened era in America.
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Katie Dean in memory of Minnibel S. and James Wallace Dean and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
- 1829
- Object number
- 1983.40
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 35 3/4 x 47 3/4 in. (90.8 x 121.4 cm)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- On View
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2nd Floor, South Wing
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- Landscape\mountain
- Figure\fragment\skull
- Religion\Old Testament\Noah
- Disaster\flood
- Architecture\boat\Noah's Ark
- Record ID
- saam_1983.40
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk77e7e8288-5e8a-4fdd-835a-3632f4ec8e72
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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