''The Finding of Moses'' is an early 1630s painting by

Orazio Gentileschi Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (1563–1639) was an Italian painter. Born in Tuscany, he began his career in Rome, painting in a Mannerist style, much of his work consisting of painting the figures within the decorative schemes of other artists. After ...

. There are two versions, the prime version is in The National Gallery in London and the second is in

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

London version

This version was bought by a private collection in 1995 and went on long term loan to the National Gallery in 2002. After a loan of nearly 20 years the Gallery succeeded in purchasing the work for £22 Million in December 2019. Commissioned by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

for his wife Henrietta Maria to celebrate the birth of their son and heir Charles II, it was painted for the Queen's House in Greenwich. Upon completion it was hung in the Great Hall, opposite the 1628 version of ''

Lot and His Daughters Lot (; he, לוֹט ''Lōṭ'', lit. "veil" or "covering"; gr, Λώτ ''Lṓt''; ar, لُوط ''Lūṭ''; Syriac language, Syriac: ܠܘܛ ''Lōṭ'') was a man in the biblical Book of Genesis, chapters 11–14 and 19. Notable events in his li ...

''. After Charles’ execution it was returned to his widow in France in 1660. By the time it entered the Orleans Collection a half-century later, it was regarded as by Velázquez. It then entered the Castle Howard collection, and was only correctly identified after the existence of Gentileschi's second version in the Prado became known in England.

Madrid version

Moisés salvado de las aguas (Orazio Gentileschi)

The version now in the Prado in Madrid was painted in 1633. It is thought to be an autograph copy after his earlier version of the subject in London. The artist produced it for

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

and sent it to him as a gift in summer 1633. It was delivered personally to Philip in Madrid by the artist's son

Francesco Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...

.Catalogue Entry
/ref> In October that year Arthur Hopton (English ambassador to Spain) wrote that the painting had been hung in the Salón Nuevo in the

Royal Alcázar of Madrid The Royal Alcázar of Madrid (Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisi ...

. Finaldi, G.: ''100 Obras Maestras del Museo del Prado'', Museo Nacional del Prado, 2008, p. 106. Pleased with the picture, Philip authorised the payment of 900 ducats to the artist. The Madrid version is slightly smaller and the nudity has been softened.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Finding of Moses, The Gentileschi category:1630s paintings category:Paintings by Orazio Gentileschi Paintings of the Museo del Prado by Italian artists