According to the Bible, the deluge was Divine retribution for the moral fall of mankind. God thus decided to exterminate all of humanity, leaving only the pious Noah and his family – the only righteous people living on earth at that time.
God informed Noah beforehand of his decision, and ordered the construction of the Ark, a vessel capable of surviving the flood that was being prepared. God gave Noah precise instructions on how to build an ark and equip it for a long voyage. By the time work began on the construction of the ark, Noah was 500 years old and he already had three sons. After the ark was built, before the flood, Noah was 600 years old. Thus, the construction of the ark took 100 years.
When the work was completed, Noah was told to go into the ark with the family, and take a pair of each animal living on the ground with it. Noah fulfilled the order, and when the doors of the ark were closed, the waters fell to the ground. The flood lasted 40 days and nights and almost all life on earth died, only Noah and his companions remained.
This tragedy was depicted by many of the painters and each new image was a challenge for each artist, a desire to show his skills. Karel Van Mandr was a master of mannerism and showed people in distorted, dramatic poses.
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