Moses and the Brazen Serpent
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Image: Courtauld
Image: Courtauld
Maker
1577-1640
Title
Moses and the Brazen Serpent
Date of Production
1609-10
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
Height: 161.2 cm (panel)
Width: 146.1 cm (panel)
Width: 146.1 cm (panel)
Object Number
P.1978.PG.355
Mode of Acquisition
Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978
Credit
Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Label Text
This painting recounts an Old Testament story: God punishes the Israelites for their lack of faith with a plague of poisonous snakes. Hearing the pleas of their leader, Moses, God gives him a miraculous brazen (or brass) serpent on a cross. The painting depicts the moment when Moses holds it aloft, curing those who look upon it. The work demonstrates Peter Paul Rubens’s skill in depicting the human body in complex and contorted poses to convey the drama and violence of the scene.
Provenance
Princes Gate Bequest 1978
Exhibition History
Part of general displays, National Gallery & London & England, 20/01/2006-27/04/2006
Rubens - A Master in the Making, National Gallery, London, 26/10/2005-15/01/2006
to be displayed with permanent collection, National Gallery & London & England, 28/01/2003-08/02/2004
...MoreNational Gallery (to be displayed with permanent collection), National Gallery, London, 01/09/1997-01/06/1998
...LessLiterature
Rubens - A Master in the Making, National Gallery, London, 2005-2006
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