![]() Others used the Tower in depictions of the apocalyptic destruction of Babylon. His compatriot and contemporary Lucas van Valckenborch made almost indentical paintings: a round tower, Coliseum-like, Nimrod. Pieter Bruegel was not the only artist whou would depict the Tower. At first sight Bruegel's towers look sturdy and well-constructed, but on closer inspection it strikes the viewer that the design contains flaws, probably inserted to indicate how bold and presumptuous the whole project was. It is not unlikely that he used the Coliseum as an inspiration for his impression of the Tower as the Coliseum was a building that Christians of his day would certainly consider an expression of faithless pride. The countless tiny figures emphasize the tower's gigantic proportions and the insignificance of mankind.īruegel visited Rome in 1552-1553. In the foreground of the larger Babylonian Tower stands a figure of authority - some sources suggest that this Nimrod was overseeing the Tower's construction. The smaller measures 60 x 74.5 cm and forms part of the collection of Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The larger painting measures 114 x 155 cm and can be admired in Vienna's Art History Museum. The two surviving canvasses (both probably from 1563) show intricate detail and are definitely worth viewing in the original. Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted the Tower three times, but his first version was lost. The site of the event would from that day on be known as Babel, apparently meaning 'confusion'. Since people could no longer understand each other, they were scattered over the earth at last. So he decided to punish them with the Confusion of Tongues. God looked down upon these industrious souls, and judged that in their ambition they were trying to equal him. Gustave Dor� (1865): confusion of tonguesĬornelis Anthonisz (1547): fall of the tower ![]() ![]() Lucas van Valckenborch (1595): construction ![]()
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