God Creating Heaven
1626
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
About the artist
Artist
Francesco Villamena
Francesco Villamena (1564–1624) was an Italian engraver, drawing teacher and art collector.
See the richer artist page1626
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
God Creating Heaven is a 1626 by Francesco Villamena, a Baroque work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a bearded man with flowing hair and a long robe, reaching out toward a dark, cloudy shape. His right hand points upward while his left arm stretches forward, as if shaping something. The background is swirling, almost like smoke or stormy clouds, and the whole scene is in black and white. The text at the bottom is in Latin and seems to describe creation. This print was made in 1626, and the artist used strong contrasts between light and dark to give it drama. Look up Baroque next to see more art like this.
Francesco Villamena’s 1626 etching *God Creating Heaven* depicts the biblical creation scene titled *Confusam corporum molem Deus ex nihilo*, translating to "God creating the confused mass of bodies from nothing." The print belongs to a series of twenty etchings based on Raphael’s frescoes in the Vatican’s Loggie, often called the *Raphael Bible*. Executed on paper, the work reproduces Raphael’s design through Villamena’s engraving technique.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Francesco Villamena (1564–1624) was an Italian engraver, drawing teacher and art collector.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
