Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
17th-century Roman school Moses bringing water from the rock (Probably a preparatory sketch)
Oil on canvas in grisaille 47 x 67 cm. In an ebonised frame 64 x 85 cm.
Provenance : Sotheby's Milan, 12/06/01, lot 165 Estimation : 6 000 000 à 8 000 000 L. (3 000 à 4 000 euros) **
This fascinating canvas, depicting the Old Testament episode of Moses bringing water from the rock, follows a descriptive structure that would lead us to assume we are looking at a precious preparatory sketch, a study for a larger altarpiece or, even more likely, for a fresco.
Although it is difficult to identify the artist, we can nevertheless place the work within the diverse Roman school of the second half of the 17th or early 18th century, in the wake of Baroque classicism.
This is a work executed using the ‘monochrome’ technique in shades of grey (also known as ‘en grisaille’), which, particularly in the creation of sketches, was a crucial stage in the artistic design process, used to define the volumes and composition of a work before applying the final colour.
The scene depicted symbolises divine salvation and faith, a popular theme in Baroque art, and narrates the miraculous episode that took place during the biblical exodus of the Jewish people (chapter 17): having fled Egypt where they were enslaved, the Jews were led by Moses towards the Promised Land, wandering through the Sinai desert.
Their sufferings were eased by God’s help, thanks to the manna that rained down from heaven, but one day, weary and thirsty, feeling abandoned by a God whose existence they were beginning to doubt, they turned to Moses asking him for a divine sign.
And so came the miracle of the Great Prophet who, at God’s behest, struck the rock with his staff, causing a cascade of water to gush forth, quenching the thirst of all those present.
It is wonderful to observe the way in which the artist has depicted the frantic movement of the figures, with their dynamic poses and the variety of reactions: some drinking eagerly, some thanking God, some offering water to children, and others stocking up by filling their jars.
Delevery information :
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