Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Law
- Original dimensions
- 136.5 x 168.5 cm
- Movement
- Dutch Golden Age of painting
- Museum
- Gemäldegalerie
- Year
- 1659
Scene depicted
This striking painting depicts a key moment from the biblical story where Moses, in anger, breaks the Tablets of the Law upon seeing a disobedient people. The dramatic force of the scene is enhanced by the play of light and shadow, typical of Rembrandt 's works, creating a composition rich in emotion and tension. The characters around Moses, frozen between admiration and fear, illustrate the gravity of this divine revelation and the importance of the fundamental laws of the Hebrew people.
Historical context
Work : Moses breaking the Tablets of the Law |BRK| Artist : Rembrandt |BRK| Year : 1659 |BRK| Museum : Gemäldegalerie |BRK| Dimensions : 136.5 x 168.5 cm |BRK| Artistic movement : Dutch Golden Age of painting |BRK|
Place in the artist's career
This reproduction of the painting Moses breaking the Tablets of the Law holds a central place in Rembrandt 's career, symbolizing his stylistic peak. It emerges from a luminous burst, similar to other works like The Night Watch and The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, demonstrating the artist's unparalleled mastery in exploring darkness and light, while capturing human emotions in every brushstroke.
Anecdote
"Light is the soul of painting; it gives life to every character," is said to have been declared by Rembrandt while contemplating the effects of light on his paintings. Imagine him, a spring morning, in his studio bathed in golden light, focusing on the sketch of Moses, fervent and inspired. It is in this fertile space of ideas that the powerful emotions of this pictorial work were born.