Who painted Moses and the Burning Bush?

Moses and the Burning Bush was painted by Augustin Hirschvogel in 1548.

Where can I see Moses and the Burning Bush?

Moses and the Burning Bush is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Moses and the Burning Bush?

Moses and the Burning Bush is associated with Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Moses and the Burning Bush?

Museum-quality prints of Moses and the Burning Bush are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Moses and the Burning Bush

Augustin Hirschvogel , 1548

Moses and the Burning Bush is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Augustin Hirschvogel. It dates from 1548 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1548, this etching portrays the biblical episode in which Moses discovers a bush that burns without being consumed.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1548, this etching portrays the biblical episode in which Moses discovers a bush that burns without being consumed. Executed by Augustin Hirschvogel, a German artist active in the mid‑sixteenth century, the print belongs to the body of work for which he is remembered as a leading figure of the Danube School, a regional artistic movement spanning Bavaria and Austria.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures the moment of divine revelation: Moses, positioned on a craggy rise, gestures upward toward the flaming shrub, while a kneeling attendant clutches a staff and gazes with a mixture of awe and trepidation. The fiery foliage, rendered with energetic lines, emphasizes the supernatural intensity of the encounter and underscores themes of revelation and obedience.

Technique & Style

Hirschvogel employed the traditional etching process, incising the design onto a copper plate with acid before printing onto paper. The work’s swift, wavy strokes convey the flickering fire, while the detailed landscape elements—rocky terrain, distant village, and scattered animals—reflect the Danube School’s characteristic attention to naturalistic settings and atmospheric effects.

History & Provenance

The print is part of a series of thirty‑five small landscape etchings produced by Hirschvogel between 1545 and 1549, a period during which he combined his interests in mathematics, cartography, and art. Although specific ownership records are scarce, the piece has been documented in several European collections of Renaissance prints, illustrating its circulation among connoisseurs of early modern graphic art.