The Brazen Serpent

Artist:  Corrado Giaquinto (Italian, 1703 - 1766)

Original Dimensions:  53 3/4" x 37 3/8"

Location:  National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork:  (1743-4) "According to the Old Testament Book of Numbers the Israelites, tired of walking through the desert in search of the Promised Land, criticised both Moses (their leader) and God. God punished them by sending a plague of venomous snakes to bite them, causing the death of many. When the Israelites repented, God instructed Moses to erect a bronze serpent which instantly cured those who looked at it.

Moses, identifiable by the two rays of light emanating from his head, gestures towards the serpent coiled around a pole. Some men and women stare upwards seeking salvation while others are sprawled on the ground, suffering the effects of the serpents’ poison.

This is a modello, or highly finished painted sketch, for a fresco in the apse of the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome. As with the related Moses Striking the Rock, also in the National Gallery, the dimensions are slightly larger than is usual for a painted sketch. This is probably so that the design could be approved before its enlargement in fresco." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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