Noël Masson

Depicting the torrent and aftermath of the biblical flood, this etching reinterprets a triptych by Ludovic Lepic. Masson translated the painting’s separate panels with a bold border around each image, probably using a straightedge and drypoint needle.

The large scale and profuse detail of the print are remarkable, especially given that Masson lost both arms as a teenager during the Commune, a civil war that broke out in Paris in 1870. He learned to use artificial hands to etch, working in the medium for almost two decades. Lepic signed this impression, suggesting that the print may have been a collaboration between the two artists.