The frontispiece to Gustave Doré's illustrated edition of the Bible. Based on the story of Noah's Ark, this illustration shows humans and a tiger who, unable to board the Ark, are doomed by the flood that was sent by God to destroy all life, futilely attempting to save their children and cubs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in the Book of Genesis, chapters 6–9, wherein God tells Noah to build a large vessel to save his family and a representation of the world's animals before He destroys the world. Although traditionally accepted as historical, by the 19th century the discoveries of archaeologists and biblical scholars had led most people to abandon a literal interpretation of the Ark story.Artist: Gustav Doré