The Return of the Spies from the Promised Land

c. 1666

Pier Francesco Mola

Associated Names
Pier Francesco Mola

Artist, Italian, 1612 - 1666

This is a drawing of figures carrying a large cluster of grapes on a pole. The drawing depicts a scene where multiple figures are engaged in carrying or observing a large cluster of grapes suspended on a pole. The figures are sketched in a loose, dynamic style with ink washes that convey movement and energy. The central figures appear to be actively engaged in transporting the grapes, while other figures look on. The use of brown ink and wash gives the drawing an aged appearance. The lines are fluid and expressive, capturing the movement of figures in an impressionistic manner.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk on laid paper, laid down on an old album sheet

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Donald Stone

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 15.2 × 26 cm (6 × 10 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2022.40.6

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Benedict Nicholson, London [1914 - 1978]. (sale, Christie's London, 6 December 1993, 30). (Adolphe Stein, Paris). Donald Stone, New York [1942 - 2020]; bequest to NGA, 2022.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1972

  • Italian 17th Century Drawings from English Private Collections, Merchant's Hall, Edinburgh, 1972, no. 81.

Bibliography

1969

  • Cocke, Richard. "A Note on Mola and Poussin" The Burlington Magazine 111 (1969): 716 - 717.

1972

  • Cocke, Richard. "Some Late Drawings by Pier Francesco Mola" Master Drawings 10 (1972): 27 and 30, note 31.

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