Lamech, holding a farming implement, points at a child; down in the street, various acts of uninhibited licence go on. Engraving.

Bible. O.T. Genesis 5.28-9. The verse on the left paraphrases Genesis 5.29; the one on the right mentions the words of an unnamed grandfather to the effect that Cupid drives the population on a rack of propagation. Sheep ascend the hill while a ram below is encouraged by Cupid into sexual activity. The people dance, drink, play music and embrace. These are the doomed antediluvians; they are counterposed to Lamech and Noah's world of virtuous labour