Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Imagine Gallery, Adventure, Case 9

Noah's Ark

1986 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Noah's Ark of stained and painted wood and plywood.

The sea is of plain wood and plywood stained pale blue with red dashes and dark blue chevrons. The inner part is stained dark blue. It has a flat base, waved at each end and mounted on two upright panels, each with a semicircle cut out at the centre. The two long sides are also waved at the ends and they widen from top to bottom. Each has three semicircles cut out. Suspended on threads in each of the semicircles are painted wooden shapes: fish (4), octopus (2), turtles (2).

The Ark is of various thicknesses of wood and plywood, stained pale aquamarine with a dark blue wavy line near the base on one length, and a line of red triangles around the other side. On each end is a cloud shaped panel, stained pale blue with the "Pisces" symbol painted on one. The base is flat rounding upwards at one end. Two top corners end in round knobs decorated with yellow doves and the opposite corners extend away from the ark before ending in round knobs decorated with rainbows. The top of the ark is stained red and is surmounted by a double arched roofed shape stained red. The roof is semicircular stained pale apple green and painted with yellow spots and pink crescents.

Cut into the top and passing below the arches is a turntable, stained red, moved by a wooden handle, also stained red which protrudes from one side of the ark. On the turntable are giraffes, lions, zebras, and rhinos sitting in pairs and each painted in a variety of colours. Noah is sitting on the roof with the palm of his right hand extended. He is stained yellow and brown and painted with a white beard and green and blue spots. When the turntable goes round, so does Noah. On the handle side of the ark are two cut-out circles, stained purple, each containing a pair of lock together birds. One set is stained aquamarine with red; the other purple with yellow and green. The circle on the right has a semicircle of painted pink triangles above it. Below the circles and from the centre to the right is a shelf with a waved edge, stained purple. Attached to it on threads are two yellow spiders, two red centipedes, and two blue spiders. On the other long side is a pink, blue, yellow and red snake, held by two pink hands.

Below is a hinged section, stained pale blue, with a waved top and five cut-out semicircles. The flap is held in place by the snake, and has two hinges along the bottom edge. The inside is stained pale blue and has five green and yellow palm tree branches along the top. It houses three pairs of horned animals-pink and purple; blue and yellow; yellow and green; each with horns of different shape and colour. All six lock together to make a line. There are seventeen additional figures, of wood and plywood, stained in different colours and painted with additional colours to create features. Mrs Noah is red with a pink face decorated with yellow dots and blue crescents. There are seventeen pairs of animals: camels, porcupines, cats, dogs, moose, hippopotamus, anteaters, crocodiles, sheep, gazelles, deer, parrots, elephants, zebras, giraffes and lions.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 39 parts.

  • Noah's Ark
  • Base
  • Superstructure
  • Camel
  • Camel
  • Porcupine
  • Porcupine
  • Cat
  • Cat
  • Dog
  • Dog
  • Moose
  • Moose
  • Hippopotamus
  • Hippopotamus
  • Anteater
  • Anteater
  • Crocodile
  • Crocodile
  • Sheep
  • Sheep
  • Gazelle
  • Gazelle
  • Deer
  • Deer
  • Parrot
  • Parrot
  • Parrot
  • Parrot
  • Figure
  • Snake
  • Elephant
  • Elephant
  • Zebra
  • Zebra
  • Giraffe
  • Giraffe
  • Lioness
  • Lion
Materials and techniques
Stained and painted wood and plywood
Brief description
Noah's Ark and figures made in England by Jim Edmiston in 1986
Physical description
Noah's Ark of stained and painted wood and plywood.

The sea is of plain wood and plywood stained pale blue with red dashes and dark blue chevrons. The inner part is stained dark blue. It has a flat base, waved at each end and mounted on two upright panels, each with a semicircle cut out at the centre. The two long sides are also waved at the ends and they widen from top to bottom. Each has three semicircles cut out. Suspended on threads in each of the semicircles are painted wooden shapes: fish (4), octopus (2), turtles (2).

The Ark is of various thicknesses of wood and plywood, stained pale aquamarine with a dark blue wavy line near the base on one length, and a line of red triangles around the other side. On each end is a cloud shaped panel, stained pale blue with the "Pisces" symbol painted on one. The base is flat rounding upwards at one end. Two top corners end in round knobs decorated with yellow doves and the opposite corners extend away from the ark before ending in round knobs decorated with rainbows. The top of the ark is stained red and is surmounted by a double arched roofed shape stained red. The roof is semicircular stained pale apple green and painted with yellow spots and pink crescents.

Cut into the top and passing below the arches is a turntable, stained red, moved by a wooden handle, also stained red which protrudes from one side of the ark. On the turntable are giraffes, lions, zebras, and rhinos sitting in pairs and each painted in a variety of colours. Noah is sitting on the roof with the palm of his right hand extended. He is stained yellow and brown and painted with a white beard and green and blue spots. When the turntable goes round, so does Noah. On the handle side of the ark are two cut-out circles, stained purple, each containing a pair of lock together birds. One set is stained aquamarine with red; the other purple with yellow and green. The circle on the right has a semicircle of painted pink triangles above it. Below the circles and from the centre to the right is a shelf with a waved edge, stained purple. Attached to it on threads are two yellow spiders, two red centipedes, and two blue spiders. On the other long side is a pink, blue, yellow and red snake, held by two pink hands.

Below is a hinged section, stained pale blue, with a waved top and five cut-out semicircles. The flap is held in place by the snake, and has two hinges along the bottom edge. The inside is stained pale blue and has five green and yellow palm tree branches along the top. It houses three pairs of horned animals-pink and purple; blue and yellow; yellow and green; each with horns of different shape and colour. All six lock together to make a line. There are seventeen additional figures, of wood and plywood, stained in different colours and painted with additional colours to create features. Mrs Noah is red with a pink face decorated with yellow dots and blue crescents. There are seventeen pairs of animals: camels, porcupines, cats, dogs, moose, hippopotamus, anteaters, crocodiles, sheep, gazelles, deer, parrots, elephants, zebras, giraffes and lions.
Dimensions
  • Base length: 73cm
  • Ark length: 63.5cm
  • Ark height: 45.7cm
  • Ark depth: 30.6cm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Long Street Gallery Specially Commissioned by Serina Butler Henderson CHRISTMAS 1986' (across end)
  • 'JIM EDMISTON' (over cut out section at the other end)
Object history
The ark was commissioned by the Long Street Gallery of Tetbury, Gloucestershire for the gallery's 1986 Christmas exhibition "Two X Two".
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Collection
Accession number
MISC.682:1 to 28-1988

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Record createdFebruary 18, 2004
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