The Destruction of the Tower
Cornelis Anthonisz, The Fall of the Tower of Babel, 1547. The British Museum, London, England.
Cornelis Anthonisz (circa 1505–1553) was a 16th-century Dutch painter, engraver, and mapmaker. He specialized in woodcut engravings and in 1544 created a Bird’s Eye View of Amsterdam. Made from twelve woodblocks, the resulting map became the most accurate rendering of Amsterdam into the 17th century. In this work, we see the Tower of Babel as envisioned by Anthonisz. God sends a violent storm sweeping down from the clouds. The powerful winds topple the tower as people run for their lives at the base of the structure.
