Moses

This pinnacle panel comes from the uppermost part of a large multi-panelled altarpiece painted for the church of Santa Croce, Florence. There were originally six of these, four of which survive. Two others are in our collection, showing King David and Isaiah; one, showing the prophet Daniel, in the Philip G. Johnson collection in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.The figure is Moses who, according to the Old Testament book of Exodus, was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. An inscription at shoulder level on either side of his body identifies him – it is an adaptation of words from the book of Exodus: ‘I saw that the bush was burning and was not consumed’ (Exodus 3: 2). The burning bush, through which God spoke to Moses, later came to be associated with the Virgin Mary’s everlasting virginity. The inscription, which refers to the divine nature of Christ’s conception, is in keeping with those on the scrolls in other panels – like the ones held by David and Isaiah, which also feature prophecies about Christ’s birth.As with the other pinnacle panels in the collection, there are holes in the areas to either side of the pointed arch for decorative framing elements to be slotted in.