Moses And The Burning Bush, 17th-century Roman School

The scene depicted here, taken from the Book of Exodus,depicts the episode of Moses’ calling to his mission among the Jewish people. According to tradition, the young Moses witnesses a miracle while tending the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro near Mount Sinai; he sees a bush burning without being consumed by the flames. The event is called a theophany, that is, a divine manifestation; God appears to Moses to call him to his mission as the savior of the people of Israel, enslaved in Egypt, tofree them and lead them to the Promised Land. The event is a cornerstone ofJewish tradition, which regards Moses as its most important prophet.The beautiful oval painting presented here depicts the scene, reinterpreting it according to pictorial conventions characteristic of 17th-century Roman painting. The setting is no longer the arid Egyptian desert but the lush Italian countryside, rich in woods and forests and characterized by the mountains hinted atin the background. At the center of the scene is Moses, depicted not as a youngshepherd but rather as a mature man, with thinning hair and a thick beard; he appears to be leaving the flock and turning toward the right, struck by the miracle. The manifestation of the divine is rendered by the figure of God the Father who pierces a cloudy sky, revealing himself surrounded by a blinding light; he appears to be supported by two angels, and the triangle of the Trinity envelops his head. The mystical event seems to shake the landscape thanks to a divine wind that bends the treetops and billows Moses’ red cloak. The painting is further enhanced by its small, oval format. This was, in fact, a very popular collector’s format at the time, examples of which can still be found in major Roman collections.