The Flood

The frescoes in the Villa Cornaro are Bortolini’s first known works. The works on the first floor focus on episodes from the Old Testament, while those on the upper floor are derived from the New Testament. On the first floor, the small rooms to the left of the main hall are dedicated to the narration of the stories of Moses and King Solomon, while those to the right are reserved for episodes relating to Noah, Abraham, and Jacob. The images are extremely simplified in the presentation of the subject matter.

In The Flood, a long procession of people and animals attempt to escape death by climbing toward the top of a high, steep mountain that is still above the waters, while a few other figures have found momentary refuge on a rocky crag in the foreground, it, too, now close to being submerged. Only in the background to the right can one glimpse Noah’s ark, floating safely on the waters.