Moses and the Brazen Serpent

Luigi Ademollo

Associated Names
Luigi Ademollo

Artist, Italian, 1764 - 1849

This is a drawing of a group of intertwined, muscular figures. The figures are depicted overlapping each other in a dynamic and chaotic arrangement. Most of the figures are nude, conveying a sense of motion and struggle. They are rendered in a classical style with strong chiaroscuro effects, emphasizing their musculature and expressions. Some figures have serpentine elements entwined around them, adding tension and drama to the scene. The drawing is in brown and white tones, giving it an aged, sculptural appearance like a bas-relief or a classical frieze.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink, with black wash and white gouache on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Joseph F. McCrindle Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 9.4 x 10.9 cm (3 11/16 x 4 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2009.70.4


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Sven H. A. Bruntjen, Woodside, CA, 1983 as one of four "Scenes from the Life of Moses"); Joseph F. McCrindle [1923-2008], New York; Joseph F. McCrindle Foundation, 2008; gift to NGA, 2009.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2012

  • Grasselli, Margaret M., and Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., eds. The McCrindle Gift: A Distinguished Collection of Drawings and Watercolors. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art. Washington, 2012: 178 (color).

Inscriptions

by later hand, upper right verso in graphite: B

Wikidata ID

Q64594380

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