Moïse Sauvé Des Eaux, Nicolas Poussin (Les Andelys 1594 - Rome 1665) Workshop

Workshop of Nicolas Poussin (Les Andelys 1594 - Rome 1665)
Little Moses Saved by Pharaoh's Daughter

Oil on canvas
Dimensions: canvas 45 x 59 cm, in frame 57 x 71 cm.

Full details of the work (LINK)

We present this magnificent work depicting the Old Testament episode of the discovery of little Moses by Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2, 1-10), which reveals at first glance the unmistakable pictorial style of Nicolas Poussin (Les Andelys 1594 - Rome 1665).

Poussin spent most of his life in Rome, creating works that fused the ideals of French classicism with Italian Renaissance art, and was a prolific artist considered by his contemporaries to be one of the greatest living artists of the early "600s.

The work, with its unmistakable Italian Renaissance figures inspired by Raphael, would suggest that it was produced in the Eternal City around the first half of the century, by an artist who certainly came into contact with the works of Poussin (whose period of activity in Italy took place between 1624 and 1640).

While it is not easy to formulate a precise attribution, given the extremely prolific and heterogeneous cultural environment, for what we can deduce from observing the painting and its excellent quality, it is likely to date back to the workshop of the French master. .

As for the theme depicted, Poussin repeatedly tried his hand at episodes dedicated to the life of Moses. The biblical story of the child's rescue from the waters of the Nile must have particularly stimulated his sensibility, perhaps because it suits his joyful nature.

According to the Bible, Moses' mother, fearing persecution from Pharaoh, who had ordered the murder of all Jewish male babies, hid her baby in swaddling clothes in a reed bed on the banks of the Nile. The baby was found by Pharaoh's daughter in the company of her maids, who decided to take care of him.
In our painting, the elegant Egyptian princess gazes in amazement at the beautiful child shown to her by the maids, whom she will later adopt.

The skilful use of light and shadow and chromatic relationships gives the painting a kind of theatrical setting, and through the refined diagonal construction, the painter creates a visual cone that directs the eye towards the basket containing little Moses. Pharaoh's daughter, recognizable by the richness of her embroidery, is shown standing, eager to welcome the child rescued from the river.

The richly detailed landscape views in the background, with hills, hilltop villages and architecture reminiscent of the environs of Rome, are to great effect.

The work, like all our objects, is sold with a photographic appraisal.

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Ref: 82HBL2EO80