Dutch Heritage Amsterdam

More about the masterpiece

The well thought-out use of colour on the tower is remarkable. Up above, the bricks are still bright red; on the lower levels, they are already weathered and lighter in colour. These small subtle details by the artist can also be seen in the very detailed representation of human activity in and around the enormous tower. The painting depicts more than thousand people.

The Bible story of the tower takes place after the flood of which Noah and his family were the only survivors. God had said that Noah’s descendants should disperse across the earth, but they did the opposite: in unison, they built a tower that could save them from the next possible flood. According to the story, God punishes the builders by causing everyone to speak different languages. They no longer understand each other and live together in ‘Babylonian confusion’.

Come build with us

Especially for children – and for all visitors who love to build – we are also working on our own Tower of Babel. In the last room of the exhibition, everyone can add a wooden block (distributed at the cash register) to the tower under construction. The (young) museum visitors are also asked to write a message on the block.