The Age of Reptiles

This article is about the mural. For the period of Earth's history referred to as the "Age of Reptiles", see Mesozoic Era. For other uses, see Age of Reptiles.

The Age of Reptiles
ArtistRudolph Zallinger
Year1947
TypeFresco
Dimensions4.9 m × 34 m (16 ft × 110 ft)
LocationYale Peabody Museum, New Haven, Connecticut

The Age of Reptiles is a 110-foot (34 m) mural depicting the period of ancient history when reptiles were the dominant creatures on the earth, painted by Rudolph Zallinger. The fresco sits in the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut, and was completed in 1947 after five years of work.[1] The Age of Reptiles was at one time the largest painting in the world, and depicts a span of nearly 350 million years in Earth's history.

Painted in the Renaissance fresco secco technique, The Age of Reptiles showcases the contemporary view of dinosaurs as slow, sluggish creatures (a view that has been gradually replaced by more active dinosaurs). Zallinger received the Addison Emery Verrill medal in 1980 for the mural.

  1. ^ Paul, Gregory S. (2000). "A quick history of dinosaur art". In Paul, Gregory S. (ed.). The Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs. New York: Byron Preiss Visual Productions. p. 110. ISBN 978-0312262266.