Artwork
The Brazen Serpent
The Brazen Serpent is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the Rococo period and reflects the era's fascination with dramatic religious narratives rendered with ornate detail and dynamic composition.
The painting shows Moses erecting a bronze serpent, known as Nehushtan, as a symbol of healing for the Israelites in the wilderness. This biblical episode, drawn from the Book of Numbers, illustrates divine protection through faith in the crafted symbol. Tiepolo places the serpent at the center, emphasizing its theological significance within the narrative of salvation and repentance.
The work belongs to the Rococo period and reflects the era's fascination with dramatic religious narratives rendered with ornate detail and dynamic composition. Its subject draws directly from the Old Testament, linking the bronze serpent to themes of divine punishment and mercy.
Tiepolo's depiction underscores the symbolic power of the Nehushtan as a prefiguration of Christ's sacrifice in Christian interpretation, a motif that resonated deeply within 18th-century religious art.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, characteristic of 18th-century Italian religious art. Its Rococo style is evident in the dynamic composition and vibrant coloration, reflecting Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's mastery of grand narrative scenes. The work depicts the biblical episode of Moses and the bronze serpent (Nehushtan), rendered with fluid brushwork and dramatic lighting typical of the period.
History & Provenance
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created the religious painting The Brazen Serpent in 1740. The work depicts the biblical figures of Moses and the Nehushtan, executed within the Rococo style. Today, the artwork is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains located.
The Brazen Serpent by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, dated 1740, is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark. The painting is catalogued within that museum's holdings as a religious work depicting Moses and the Nehushtan. No specific accession number or detailed exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Context
The Brazen Serpent is a late work by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, painted in 1740 and classified as a religious painting within the Rococo movement. It depicts the biblical scene of Moses and the Nehushtan, reflecting the artist's engagement with Old Testament narratives. The work is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display, underscoring its significance within Tiepolo's oeuvre and the broader European religious art tradition.
Overview
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s 1740 canvas, titled The Brazen Serpent, presents a complex, theatrical tableau drawn from the biblical episode in which Moses raises a bronze serpent to cure the afflicted Israelites. The composition is dominated by a luminous oval at its centre, surrounded by a tumult of figures caught in various states of ascent and descent, set against a densely detailed architectural backdrop.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, also known as Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school.
