The Finding of Moses

The subject of Moses's finding by Pharaoh's daughter was often used in the seventeenth century to show many female figures in sumptuous costumes, yet still within a biblical context. Here, Antoine Coypel depicts the succeeding moment, when the princess decides to hand Moses over to a wet nurse who is, in reality, his mother. The woman's sly look and her overt offering of a breast make clear her identity, while the young figure behind her with active arms and a conspiratorial glance is Miriam, Moses's sister.

The painting was displayed at the Paris Salons in 1699 and 1704; although its original owner is not known, a print after the painting was dedicated to the Cardinal d'Estrées, an early supporter of Coypel, and thus it may have been his. The work is a brilliant fusion of the two main strands of seventeenth-century French painting- Poussinisme and Rubénisme. The former, denoting works inspired by the French artist Poussin, were celebrated for their attention to drawing, line, and composition, while the latter, named for the Flemish painter Rubens, were thought to privilege color. Here, Coypel combines a rich, shimmering palette with stately figures making elegant gestures in a friezelike composition that rises to a discreet triangle mirroring the pyramid behind, combining the two approaches. The AMAM purchased the work in 1978, making it the first painting by Antoine Coypel to enter an American museum collection.