Edward Hicks’ religious piece, “Noah’s Ark, 1846” epitomizes an idealized vision of harmonious living and tolerance among all creatures. Hicks (1780 – 1849) based this Naïve artwork on the Biblical story in which God commands Noah to build an ark to save himself and all of Earth’s animals from a catastrophic flood. A Quaker preacher, Hicks painted to express his deep faith and to inspire others. In this work, he created the lion as a self-portrait. Hicks painted predators and prey next to each other to illustrate the peaceful world all Quakers believe is possible. One of Hicks’ most famous works, this piece is displayed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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