French school, late 18th century.

French school, late 18th century.
"Moses rescued from the waters".
Oil on canvas.
Period frame.
Measurements: 126 x 110 cm; 152 x 140 cm.
A group of women wrapped in rich silk and satin attires are rooted between them adopting dynamic choreographies around the child, Moses, rescued from the waters. In the young woman who prepares to take him in her arms we identify Miriam, who will be his nurturer. The elegant lady who is accompanied by her maidservant with a parasol represents the daughter of Pharaoh. According to what is written in Exodus, the princess discovered the basket with the child while she was taking a bath. Taking pity on the child, she sought out a midwife to feed him, Miriam. A brooch sparkles on her bodice, and her velvet skirt folds back in rich drapery. The figures are neoclassical in their facial ovals and sculptural canons. In the cubic reduction of the architecture, the classicist style is also evident, with these forms hinting at a freely recreated Greek temple and Egyptian obelisk. The calm gestures of the maidens are also in keeping with the neoclassical language. Gestures and gazes intertwine in a silent dialogue. The Ivorian complexion of the pharaoh's daughter contrasts with the dark complexion of some of the maids. In all of them, however, the bold painter plays with the shading provided by the canopies of the leafy trees growing along the riverbank. These masterfully fluffed canopies anticipate the solutions of the French 19th century landscape schools. Stylistically, however, the work is nevertheless situated in the transitional period between late Baroque and Neoclassicism, as it is dominated by a chromatic sensuality that would diminish in full Neoclassicism.