Artwork
Moses with the Tables of the Law
Moses with the Tables of the Law is an oil painting by Pieter Gaal. It dates from 1803 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Created in 1803, this oil painting depicts a biblical figure traditionally identified as Moses.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1803, this oil painting depicts a biblical figure traditionally identified as Moses. The composition centers on a bearded man in a flowing greenish garment, standing before a weathered stone wall. He holds a stone tablet inscribed with Hebrew characters in one hand while his other hand gestures upward, conveying a solemn, didactic presence.
Subject & Meaning
The work illustrates the moment when Moses receives the divine commandments, a theme recurrent in Christian and Jewish art. The tablet’s script and the figure’s serious expression underscore the gravity of the law-giving episode, while the upward pointing gesture suggests divine inspiration or proclamation.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, the painting employs strong contrasts of light and shadow to model the figure and the textured wall, a technique reminiscent of chiaroscuro. The artist renders the fabric’s folds and the rough masonry with careful brushwork, creating a tactile sense of depth and materiality.
History & Provenance
The canvas was painted by Pieter Gaal, a Dutch artist from Zeeland whose family included several painters, notably his father Thomas and his son Jacobus Cornelis. The painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings of early‑19th‑century religious art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Gaal (19 July 1769 in Middelburg – 13/18 January 1819 in Middelburg) was a Dutch painter, the son of Thomas Gaal.
