4x5 transparency scanned on Hasselblad Flextight X1 by Ed Pollard-2023.

Images(3)

Scanned from a slide by Kaitlin Vaughan; color-corrected by Pat Cagney.

Moses Striking the Rock

Artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Grechetto) (Italian, 1610-1664)

DateAfter 1650

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 39 x 47 1/4 in. (99.1 x 120 cm)
Overall, Frame: 49 x 57 in. (124.5 x 144.8 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.629

Terms

Religion
Moses
Animals
People
Old Testament
Brown
Tan
Blue
Red
White

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. The foreground displays a variety of animals drinking water, including a goose, duck, goats and a dog with his tail in the air. There is also a basket with a pot in it and some blankets on the right. Mid-ground reveals Moses and a stream of water on the left side, he is wearing a bright red robe and his left arm is outstretched. The right holds the rod that is striking the rock that produced the flow of water. On the right side of the canvas, fourteen people cluster together with various facial expressions of astonishment. They lean back with a fearful look, but cannot turn their eyes from the dramatic scene before them. The background is tranquil blue sky and clouds.;

Label TextGiovanni Benedetto Castiglione, called Grechetto Italian, 1609–1664 Moses Striking the Rock, after 1650 Oil on canvas Moses strikes a rock, miraculously drawing out water for the thirsty Israelites during their trek through the desert. Everyone is surprised. Some fall to their knees and pray while others rear up in disbelief. Mouths fall open, dumbstruck. The animals, however, aren’t bothered one bit. They gather to drink, forming a textured mass of finely rendered fur and feathers. As this painting might suggest, the artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was celebrated for his skill as a painter of animals and as a caricaturist. Even so, don’t miss the way he depicts the cascading water and its glinting light. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.629