Bertram of Minden ca. 1340 – 1414/15

The building of the ark

mixed techniques on panel (84 ∅ 56 cm) — 1383 Museum Kunsthalle, Hamburg

Bertram of Minden biography

This work is linked to Genesis 6:14

A panel from the left outer wing of Bertram's Grabow altarpiece. The ugly stain is the remainder of a 16th century painting.

Fortunately we can still see how Noah receives the command to build himself an ark of gopher wood large enough to house his family and a male and female of every species. In the ark they would be able to survive the great flood.

Nobody really knows what tree a gopher is. The word is a transliteration of the word used in the Hebrew sources and occurs only in this chapter of the Bible. It is often thought to be either a cedar or a cypress.

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