Ebrezza di Noè (Lotto)

Drunkenness of Noah by Lotto around 1518 depicts the episode following the Flood when Noah’s son Ham discovers his father in a state of drunken nakedness. The subject, traditionally interpreted as a prefiguration of Christ’s humiliation, was part of Lotto’s comprehensive Old Testament cycle for Santa Maria Maggiore. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays nervous, charged atmosphere in portraits, symbolic objects placed with enigmatic purpose, eclectic absorption of influences from Germany, Raphael, and Giorgione, restless spatial invention.

Lotto renders the narrative with characteristic directness, using bold figure arrangement and strong color to convey the moral weight of the scene. The composition balances the awkwardness of Noah’s state with the sons’ contrasting responses.