Artwork
The Gathering of Manna
The Gathering of Manna is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Aurelio Lomi. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
An angel hovers above, signifying divine intervention, while the presence of baskets and gathered manna underscores the miraculous provision.
The Gathering of Manna depicts the biblical event in Exodus 16, where God provides manna, miraculous bread, from heaven to sustain the Israelites during their desert wanderings. In Lomi’s composition, a diverse crowd of men, women, and children gather around a central tent, their outstretched hands and animated gestures conveying urgency and gratitude. An angel hovers above, signifying divine intervention, while the presence of baskets and gathered manna underscores the miraculous provision. The scene emphasizes communal reliance on the sacred, reflecting Counter-Reformation ideals of divine favor and collective salvation.
Technique & Style
The Gathering of Manna is an oil painting on canvas, measuring approximately 105.4 × 108.6 cm. Executed in 1599, the work employs the oil‑on‑canvas technique typical of late Renaissance religious imagery, using layered pigments to achieve subtle tonal transitions. The composition centers on a bustling crowd under a tent, with an angelic figure distributing manna, accompanied by various onlookers such as a child and an elderly man. The formal arrangement emphasizes a balanced pyramidal grouping, while the use of chiaroscuro highlights the central divine gesture. No specific conservation data are recorded, so the current condition remains undocumented.
History & Provenance
The Gathering of Manna is dated to 1599 by internal documentation and is attributed to Aurelio Lomi, a Tuscan painter active in the late sixteenth century. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located. Technical records and curatorial files at the museum associate the work with Lomi’s mature period, aligning with documented religious commissions of the era.
No archival evidence links the canvas to an original patron or site; its early provenance is not recorded before its modern institutional history.
The Gathering of Manna, an oil painting on canvas created by Aurelio Lomi in 1599, is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work measures 105.4 cm in height and 108.6 cm in width. While the sources confirm the painting's presence in this specific New York institution, they do not provide a specific inventory or accession number for the piece.
Furthermore, the available documentation does not record any exhibition history for the work, leaving its display record outside of current source data unverified.
Overview
This oil painting, titled The Gathering of Manna, presents a bustling and complex scene set beneath a dark, arched sky. Numerous individuals are depicted, with a large crowd converging around a central group of figures. Winged, floating beings observe the activity from above, suggesting a moment of divine significance.
The artwork employs distinct contrasts between light and shadow to articulate its many components and create visual depth.
Artist & collection
Artist
Aurelio Lomi (29 February 1556 – 1622) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and early-Baroque periods, active mainly in his native town of Pisa, in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
