Noah: The Eve of the Deluge1848 · Study 1972.119

Context from the museum

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.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

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

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Noah: The Eve of the Deluge is 221 cm wide and 146 cm high, equivalent to approximately 87.0 × 57.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.51:1. The rectangular bounding area is 3.23 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 73.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 39.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Noah: The Eve of the Deluge in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 221 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?