Lemekh and His Wives in Art/0/en

Lemekh in Art

Overview

The character of Lamekh appears in Tanakh only briefly, relaying an enigmatic speech to his wives which hints to a murder, but does not elaborate further.  The four artworks displayed here, the painting by William Blake,¹ the woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, ² the engraving by the Alexander Master,³ and the miniature from the Speculum humanæ salvationis all depict the event. The portrayals differ in almost every detail, from the choice of characters included, to the emotions they express and the actions they commit.  The variety reflects the many different ways the story has been understood.

Contrasting Images

Blake

Schnorr

Alexander Master

Speculum humanæ salvationis

Relationship to the Biblical Text

The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:

¹ William Blake (1757-1827) was a British painter and poet associated with the Romantic movement.  The painting is housed in the Tate Gallery, London.

² Schnorr (1794-1872) was a German painter of the Nazarene movement.  He made over 200 engravings of Biblical scenes for for a Picture Bible, Die Bibel in Bildern.

³ This image is from the History Bible (KB, 78 D 38 I), c. 1430, which contains over 50 miniatures.  It is housed in the National Library of the Netherlands, the Hague.