The Finding Of Moses (Gentileschi, Madrid)
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''The Finding of Moses'' is an early 1630s painting by
Orazio Gentileschi Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (; 1563 – 7 February 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 ...
. There are two versions, the
prime version In the art world, if an artwork exists in several versions, the one known or believed to be the earliest is called the prime version. Many artworks produced in media such as painting or carved sculpture which create unique objects are in fact r ...
is in
The National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...
in London and the second is in
Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...
in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
.


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 Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
to celebrate the birth of their son and heir Charles II, it was painted for the
Queen's House Queen's House is a former royal residence in the London borough of Greenwich, which presently serves as a public art gallery. It was built between 1616 and 1635 on the grounds of the now demolished Greenwich Palace, a few miles downriver fro ...
in
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
. Upon completion it was hung in the Great Hall, opposite the 1628 version of '' Lot and His Daughters''. After Charles’ execution it was returned to his widow in France in 1660. By the time it entered the
Orleans Collection The Orleans Collection was a very important collection of over 500 paintings formed by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, mostly acquired between about 1700 and his death in 1723. Apart from the great royal-become-national collections of Europe it is ...
a half-century later, it was regarded as by
Velázquez Velázquez, also Velazquez, Velásquez or Velasquez (, ), is a surname from Spain. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Velasco". References to "Velazquez" without a first name are often to the Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez. Notable peo ...
. It then entered the
Castle Howard Castle Howard is an English country house in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire, north of York. A private residence, it has been the home of the Earl of Carlisle, Carlisle branch of the House of Howard, Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle ...
collection, and was only correctly identified after the existence of Gentileschi's second version in the
Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...
became known in England.


Madrid version

The version now in the
Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...
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 (, ; 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 for his patronage of the ...
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 language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...
.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: ''Real Alcázar de Madrid'') was a fortress located at the site of today's Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. The structure was originally built in the second half of the ninth century by the Muslims, ...
. 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.


See also

*
List of works by Orazio Gentileschi The following is an incomplete list of paintings by the Italian Baroque artist Orazio Gentileschi. Catalogue numbers abbreviated "MET" are from the 2001 publication by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. References

{{Lists of paintings Lists ...


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Finding of Moses, The category:Paintings of the Finding of Moses category:1630s paintings category:Paintings by Orazio Gentileschi Paintings in the Museo del Prado by Italian artists Henrietta Maria of France Charles I of England