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Jacob Jordaens, Moses and Zipporah, oil on canvas.
Rubenshuis, Antwerp; inv. no. RH.S 095.
Jacob Jordaens (Antwerp 1597 - 1678)
Moses, Aaron and Miriam
black chalk, sanguine and brown wash on laid paper
170 x 148 mm
inscribed 'j. Jordans', lower right
This charming study by Jacob (or Jacques) Jordaens, can be dated to the 1650’s. Although it was previously catalogued as a study for the three Wise Men, the drawing actually...
This charming study by Jacob (or Jacques) Jordaens, can be dated to the 1650’s. Although it was previously catalogued as a study for the three Wise Men, the drawing actually depicts Moses (the figure to the right, recognizable by his ‘horns’), Moses’ brother Aaron and Aaron's wife Miriam. (Moses' horns became his attribute in Western art because of an ambiguity of the Latin version of Exodus 34, 30. After being addressed by God on top of Mount Sinai and given the Tablets of the Law containing the Ten Commandments, Moses descended to his people in the desert. His face was seen to shine with a divine light. The word ‘cornutam’ used in the Latin translation of the passage can mean both 'shining' and 'horned'.)
Executed in black and red chalk and worked up with white highlights - a typical medium for Jordaens which he often used for studies - the drawing is a beautiful example of his mature work. From the 1650’s onwards, Jordaens’ works on paper acquired a directness and boldness which make them very appealing to modern viewers. Interestingly, there is a painting dated ca. 1650 depicting Moses and Zipporah - now kept at the Rubenshuis in Antwerp (see illustration) - for which our sheet may have been a ‘première pensée’ of sorts.
Provenance
Sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 July 2008, lot 17;
Private collection, New York.
Related artworks
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Jacob Jordaens (Antwerp 1593 - 1678), A Still Life
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Jacob Jordaens (Antwerp 1593 - 1678), An Academy of a seated Male Nude
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Jacob Jordaens (Antwerp 1593 - 1678), Three Portrait Studies of a Man in a Jester's Hood, ca. 1640
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Jacob Jordaens (Antwerp 1593 - 1678), Three Studies of a Man in a Jester's Hood, ca. 1640
