Artwork
Moses Counting the Children of Israel
Moses Counting the Children of Israel is a tempera drawing by French 13th Century. It dates from 1270 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The work is a tempera drawing on vellum, enhanced with applied gold leaf.
About this work
Overview
It presents a tall, V‑shaped frame that encloses a compact narrative scene.
The work is a tempera drawing on vellum, enhanced with applied gold leaf. It presents a tall, V‑shaped frame that encloses a compact narrative scene. Within the frame, two figures in vivid garments—one in blue, the other in red—stand beneath an architectural arch, while a multitude of small, block‑like figures fill the background. Latin inscription surrounds the image in a dense, decorative script.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts Moses engaged in the enumeration of the Israelites, a theme drawn from biblical tradition. The blue‑robed figure, identified as Moses, holds a staff, a conventional attribute of leadership, while the red‑robed figure appears to address the assembled crowd, suggesting a role as a recorder or herald. The surrounding multitude reinforces the notion of a large, counted population.
Technique & Style
Tempera, mixed with egg yolk as a binder, provides the opaque, matte coloration of the figures and architectural elements. Thin sheets of gold leaf are applied to the background, creating a luminous surface that catches light and highlights the central arch. The use of vellum as support allows fine detail, evident in the densely packed, stylized crowd rendered in a blocky, almost schematic manner.
History & Provenance
The piece originates from a medieval manuscript tradition, where illuminated pages combined text and image for devotional or instructional purposes. While the specific origin, date, and ownership history are not recorded in the available data, its materials and stylistic traits align with European illuminated works produced between the 13th and 15th centuries.
Artist & collection
Artist
This artist worked in the last decades of the 13th century, painting scenes from the Bible on vellum with gold leaf and bright colors.
Saint Mark
Saint Luke
Initial "V" from the commentary of Nehemiah, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
The Marriage; the Kiss of the Bride (initial P); the Bride Abandoned (initial D)
Leaf from a Beatus Manuscript: the Angel of the Church of Sardis with Saint John
Opening Page of Book IX of Valerius Maximus's Facta et dicta memorabilia
Manuscript Illumination with Initial V, from a Bible
Manuscript Leaf from a Bible (Deuteronomy)
Border from an Almanac
Christ as the Man of Sorrows