A large and charming mid-19th century painted Noah's Ark with attendant animals, Erzgebirge, Bavaria, circa 1850


The boat-bottomed ark painted in colours and with sliding side panel, a dove painted to the tiles of the roof, and with 291 animals and people, including 42 pairs of birds (plus 8 single birds), 4 human couples and 90 pairs of animals (plus 2 single animals) and 3 pairs of insects (plus 3 single insects), all painted in colours and occasionally depicted as male and female of the species, including some unusual animals and insects, like ladybirds, butterflies, grasshoppers, baboons, moles, hares, polar bears, beavers, hyena, and many types of exotic bird, the ark 63cm wide x 13cm deep x 16cm high (292)