| The Biblia Sacra was published in 1969 by Rizzoli of Rome. - SIGNATURE : printed in the image - SIZE : 19 x 13 3/4" or 48.26x34.93cm - REFERENCES : Michler and Lopsinger 1600, Field 69-3 - CONDITION : Excellent. New. Original. This is an illustrated book of the Bible in Vulgate. The Biblia Sacra was published in 1969 by Rizzoli of Rome. The lithographs are on a heavy paper and are signed in the plate. The Biblia Sacra lithographs were produced as illustrations for a new edition of the Bible. The Biblia Sacra suite consists of 105 color mixed-technique lithographs after 105 watercolor paintings created by Dali between 1963 and 1964. The Biblia Sacra works are a combination of offset lithography, continuous tone lithography, serigraphy (silkscreening) with application of varnishes and metallic inks. The works were “printed” on a heavy stock designed specifically to hold up to the various techniques used. Quality craftsmanship and artistry are evident in every Biblia Sacra work. The unique combination of multiple printing techniques gives these illustrations a richness and depth that resulted in works that are exceptionally true to the original paintings. Creator: Salvador Dalí (1904 - 1989, Spanish) |
BIBLIA SACRA 11
$4,750.00Price
Genesis 11:1-9
“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.' But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.' So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-9)
The Tower of Babel is the story of humanity’s pride and the divine intervention that caused the scattering of the human race across the earth. After the flood, the people of the world united to build a tower reaching the heavens—a symbol of human ambition and an attempt to make a name for themselves. God, seeing their arrogance, decides to confuse their language so they can no longer understand each other, preventing the completion of the tower and causing the people to spread out over the earth.
This passage addresses the themes of pride, unity, human ambition, and the consequences of defying divine authority.
Dalí’s Interpretation in Sacra Biblia
Dalí transforms the biblical story into a psychological and metaphysical exploration of human ambition, divine judgment, and the fragility of unity. His use of dreamlike imagery, cosmic forces, and distorted figures emphasizes the impossibility of humanity overcoming divine authority and the chaotic consequences that follow. Through this lens, the Tower of Babel becomes a symbol of human pride, division, and the limitations of human power in the face of divine will.