The Tower of Babel, anonymous, c. 1490

The Tower of Babel, anonymous, c. 1490

oil on panel, h 20.5cm × w 17.9cm Catalogue entry

The Old Testament tells the story of the people of Babel who wanted to build a tower that would reach to heaven. God punished them for their pride: he confused their common language so they could no longer understand one another. This is one of the earliest painted depictions of this story; it also affords a fairly reliable glimpse of late medieval building practices.

Catalogue entry