The Finding of Moses; and Moses and the Burning Bush

Along with Tiepolo and Piazzetta, Giambattista Pittoni is considered one of the most important history painters of the Venetian Rococo. He originally trained with his uncle, Francesco, before developing his own style, strongly influenced by Antonio Balestra, Sebastiano Ricci and Luca Giordano; his work also reveals an awareness of Tiepolo. Along with major altarpieces for Venetian Churches and devotional images for private patrons, Pittoni also produced many preparatory studies and small-scale sketches, such as the present pair, that show a liveliness of handling and a lightness of touch that is rare in his more finished formal works.

Originally executed on what appears to be a very thin-weave canvas with shaped, arched tops, these two pictures were laid down on panels at a later date, and the compositions correspondingly extended.