Artwork
Horned Moses and the Tablets of the Law
Horned Moses and the Tablets of the Law is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Valentin de Boulogne. It dates from 1628 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The artist’s use of deep shadows and focused illumination directs attention to the central figure, emphasizing the emotional weight of the religious narrative.
Valentin de Boulogne’s Horned Moses and the Tablets of the Law is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium typical of seventeenth-century European painting. The dimensions of the work measure 131 centimeters in height by 103.5 centimeters in width.
Stylistically, the painting demonstrates a Caravaggesque approach, characterized by dramatic chiaroscuro and a heightened realism in the depiction of figures. The handling of the paint is precise yet expressive, with visible brushwork contributing to the textural qualities of Moses’ robes and the stone tablets. The artist’s use of deep shadows and focused illumination directs attention to the central figure, emphasizing the emotional weight of the religious narrative.
History & Provenance
Valentin de Boulogne painted Horned Moses and the Tablets of the Law in 1628 as an oil on canvas work measuring 131 by 103.5 cm. The painting entered the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria before being acquired by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains on view. Its religious genre and depiction of Moses with the Tablets of Stone align with Baroque conventions of the period.
Horned Moses and the Tablets of the Law is held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains part of the collection. Its provenance traces back to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, an earlier owner of the work before it entered the museum's holdings. The painting, executed in oil on canvas in 1628, measures 131 by 103.5 centimeters.
No exhibition history beyond its current placement at the Kunsthistorisches Museum is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Valentin de Boulogne’s 1628 oil painting, titled Horned Moses and the Tablets of the Law, presents a solitary figure in a darkened space. The central character, identified as Moses, holds the stone tablets and a staff, his gaze directed downward. The composition is dominated by a stark contrast between illuminated flesh and drapery and the surrounding gloom, creating a focused, contemplative scene.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays the biblical prophet Moses at the moment of receiving the law, a theme frequently revisited in 17th‑century religious art. By emphasizing Moses’s solemn expression and the weight of the tablets, the painting underscores themes of divine authority, covenant, and introspection, inviting viewers to contemplate the gravity of the commandments.
Artist & collection
Artist
Valentin de Boulogne (before 3 January 1591 – 19 August 1632), sometimes referred to as Le Valentin, was a French painter in the tenebrist style.
