Moses and the Burning Bush

It was exhibited in 2022 as part of the touring presentation "Poussin: The Classical Vision" organized by Statens Museum for Kunst and the Musée du Louvre.

Nicolas Poussin created the oil-on-canvas painting Moses and the Burning Bush in 1641. The work depicts the biblical scene of Moses encountering the burning bush and is classified as a religious painting. It measures 203.7 cm in height and 170.8 cm in width.

The Statens Museum for Kunst currently holds the piece in its collection. No specific details regarding the original commission, patron, or the chain of ownership prior to its arrival at the museum are provided in the available records.

The painting is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it is inventoried as accession KMSsp704.

It was exhibited in 2022 as part of the touring presentation "Poussin: The Classical Vision" organized by Statens Museum for Kunst and the Musée du Louvre.

Nicolas Poussin's 'Moses and the Burning Bush,' executed in 1641, depicts the biblical moment from Exodus where God reveals himself to Moses through a bush that burns without being consumed. The composition is structured with classical clarity, placing the kneeling figure of Moses in the lower left foreground on rocky terrain. He gestures toward the miraculous bush, which glows with an intense, supernatural light that contrasts with the surrounding dark, stormy clouds.

Above, two winged angels hover in the sky; one points downward toward Moses, while the other extends a hand in a gesture of divine communication. Poussin employs a restrained palette dominated by earth tones and deep blues, punctuated by the fiery oranges of the bush and the ethereal light of the divine presence. The painting exemplifies the artist's mature style during his Roman period, characterized by rigorous intellectual planning, balanced geometry, and a focus on narrative clarity over emotional excess.

This work reflects Poussin's deep engagement with Stoic philosophy and his desire to elevate religious subjects through the formal principles of antiquity, establishing a standard for French classical painting.

The subject derives from Exodus, where God appears to Moses in a bush that burns yet remains intact. Poussin, a leading figure of French classicism, often revisited biblical stories, infusing them with rational composition and measured emotion. This piece reflects the period’s interest in dramatizing scriptural moments through controlled theatricality.