The Moral and Divine Law: Moses Receives the Law on Mount Sinai; Color Study for Mural, Supreme Court Room, Minnesota State Capitol, Saint Paul

The work was commissioned for the Supreme Court courtroom of the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and was completed in 1903. It is a watercolor, gouache with gum arabic, graphite study created by John La Farge for a mural in the Capitol's Supreme Court Room. The piece entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view in The American Wing.

The drawing was executed as a color study for the mural and depicts Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai alongside Paul the Apostle on a mountain. It is classified as a religious work within The American Wing's collection.

The color study is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, classified within its American Wing collection. According to the Wikidata record, the work is part of the museum's holdings and located there.

No exhibition history or accession number is documented in the available sources.

John La Farge’s 1903 watercolor and gouache study, titled The Moral and Divine Law: Moses Receives the Law on Mount Sinai, was prepared as a preparatory design for a large mural intended for the Supreme Court Chamber of the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul. Executed on olive‑green wove paper with graphite underdrawing, the work combines transparent washes with opaque gouache, showcasing La Farge’s command of color and composition.

At the turn of the twentieth century, American civic architecture often incorporated allegorical art to convey moral and legal ideals. La Farge’s study fits within this movement, aligning with other governmental commissions that used biblical narratives to underscore the principles of law and justice.

Although the study itself is a preparatory piece, it illustrates La Farge’s interdisciplinary practice, bridging illustration, mural design, and decorative arts. The work continues to inform scholars of his methodological approach to large‑scale public art and his contribution to the visual language of American civic spaces.