Moses drawing water from the rock

The present canvas relates the story of Moses drawing water from the rock, a scene from the Old Testament where Moses, acting on God's orders, strikes a rocky cliff with his staff to produce water for the Israelites as they cross the desert. But because he fails to give credit for the miracle to God, he is told that as punishment he will not lead the nation of Israel. Passeri has chose to depict the key moment of the miracle when Moses, staff raised, releases a spring of fresh water from the rocky cliff behind him. All around him, his followers react to the event: several raise their hands in joyful incredulity or clasp them in gratitude while those closest to the spring collect the rivulets in wooden bowls and drink. Moses himself is represented as a commanding, white-bearded figure with horns of light emanating from his forehead. The figures are painted in a largely primary palette, which allows them to stand out against the browns, grays, and blue-greens of the background landscape. While we have very few paintings by Passeri with which to compare the Moses, certain stylistic consistencies - such as the feathery trees with their strongly contrasted light and shadowy passages - are in evidence.

The attribution to Giuseppe Passeri has been confirmed by Professor Giancarlo Sestieri, who notes certain similarities with other extant works by that artist, indicating in particular the gestures of the figures and their physiognomies (written communication, 24 October 2005). Giuseppe Passeri, nephew of the painter Giovanni Battista Passeri, was apprenticed to Carlo Maratti in Rome. Maratti, the last major Italian artist of the classical tradition, painted in a grandiose and decorative style that made him a favorite among church patrons.