Artwork
Moisés y el agua de la roca
Moisés y el agua de la roca is an oil painting by the Spanish Baroque Tenebrist artist Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante. It dates from 1668 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays Moses striking the rock from which water flows, a biblical episode symbolizing divine provision and the manifestation of God's power. The composition emphasizes the miraculous emergence of water as a visual metaphor for spiritual sustenance, reflecting the religious context of the work within the Spanish Baroque tradition.
Technique & Style
The work measures 114 cm in height and 143 cm in width, presenting a substantial horizontal format typical of narrative scenes.
Executed in 1668, this religious painting by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 114 cm in height and 143 cm in width, presenting a substantial horizontal format typical of narrative scenes. As a piece of religious art, the composition depicts the biblical figure of Moses.
The handling of the oil medium on the woven canvas allows for the detailed rendering required by the genre, though specific details regarding the current surface condition or distinct stylistic maneuvers beyond the general classification are not explicitly detailed in the available records.
History & Provenance
The painting Moisés y el agua de la roca was created by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante in 1668. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 114 cm in height and 143 cm in width. Its creation date is recorded as January 1, 1668.
The piece is currently held by the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Historical records indicate the work was previously part of the collection of the Museo de la Trinidad before its transfer to the Prado.
Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante painted Moisés y el agua de la roca in 1668. The work is an oil on canvas measuring 114 cm by 143 cm. It belongs to the collections of the Museo del Prado and the Museo de la Trinidad. The painting has been exhibited in major retrospectives of the artist at the Museo del Prado in 1955 and in 1975.
Overview
Created in 1668, this oil painting by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante portrays a biblical scene in which Moses, clothed in a long robe and blue shirt, gestures toward a massive rock while a crowd of figures reaches toward him. The composition is set against a rocky landscape with water and a cloud‑dotted sky, rendered in the dramatic chiaroscuro typical of Spanish Baroque.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante
Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante (1633 in Cordoba–1669 in Madrid) was a Spanish Baroque Golden Age painter.
- Saint John the Baptist says goodbye to his Parents
Moses and the Messengers from Canaan
Rebecca at the Well
Apostles finding a coin inside a fish (Matthew 17:27)
Elijah Receiving Bread from the Widow of Zarephath
Jonah Preaching to the People of Niniveh
Meeting of Isaac and Rebeca
Moses Striking the Rock
Moses Striking the Rock
Laban Searching for his Stolen Household Gods
Joseph sold by his brothers
The Anointing of David