Tour de Babel

An imagined representation of the Tower of Babel.

According to the Old Testament book of Genesis, the entire world, speaking one language, worked together collectively to build a tower with a top that rose to the heavens. Affronted at the audacity of such a project, God confused the speech of the workers and scattered them about the earth – Biblical justification for the various global languages.

This is a beautiful depiction of the Tower, constructed of an elaborate system of ramps, columns, and arches. In the immediate vicinity is an apparently prosperous city reflecting a wide variety of architectural designs and styles – indicative of the conglomeration of cultures.

The print was originally published in 1683 in Paris as part of Alain Manesson Mallet’s monumental Description de l’ Univers – one of the most influential works of the 17th century. This particular example was likely issued in a somewhat later edition.