Moses and the Messengers from Canaan
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
| Location History: | The painting created in 1621-24 , remained in the chapel until around 1660 - 68, after which it was moved to the sacristy and later to the refectory. By 1763, the painting had been transferred to the Convento di San Callisto in Rome. In the early nineteenth century, between 1803 and 1806, the work entered the collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch and remained with him until his death in 1839. It was subsequently held by his estate and was sold in Rome in 1843 to Alessandro Aducci. By the twentieth century, the painting was in the collection of Algernon William John Clotworthy Skeffington, 12th Viscount Massereene and 5th Viscount Ferrard. It later passed by inheritance to his son, John Clotworthy Talbot Foster Whyte-Melville-Skeffington. Following a sale at Christie’s in London in 1968, the painting was acquired by Hallsborough Gallery. In 1969, it was purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum, where it is housed today. |
Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647) was known for his use of low viewpoint and dramatic foreshortening in his paintings. He created the work ‘Moses and Messengers from Canaan’ using the same style. The style was applied because the painting was originally intended to hang high on the walls of the Chapel of the Basilica San Paolo Fouri le Mura in Rome. The theme of the painting is based on an episode from the Old Testament (Numbers 13:1-27), according to which, Mosses sent spies to Canaan (promised land), to check whether the land was fertile and capable of supporting its people. The spies came back with fruits like grapes and pomegranates as a sign of abundance and presented it to Moses. It is also said that they described the land as “floweth with milk and honey”. The artist has depicted this particular scene with monumental scale figures which can be seen by the viewers standing far beneath it. The painting shows the moment when spies returned from Canaan and presented the harvest in front of Moses. The painting formed a large decorative setting dedicated to Eucharist. In Catholic tradition, the grapes from the promised land is considered as a prefigure of the wine used during the Last Supper and the Eucharist. And therefore, the painting was best suitable for the Sacrament Chapel. The work was presented with other paintings based on the Eucharist themes like ‘Elijah receiving bread from the widow of Zarephath’, creating a connection through visuals between Old Testament and the Christian sacrament beliefs. The painting overall reflects the use of monumental figures, dramatic representation, and symbolic use of the harvest, which has turned the biblical theme into a powerful Baroque image by the artist.
Loading Interpretations....