European school, follower of Luca Giordano (1634-1705): Moses and the pharaoh's crown, oil on canvas, ca. 1700

Work: 159,5 x 120 cm

Frame: 188 x 151 cm

In the book of Exodus (4:10) we can read in a short passage that Moses had difficulty speaking. A legend that can already be found in ancient Hebrew, Greek and Arabic texts gave an explanation for this. According to that story, Moses, who was adopted by the pharaoh's daughter, was one day playing on the pharaoh's lap. He then smashed the throne on the ground, according to some versions because it had an idol sitting on it. The courtiers were very shocked by this incident, especially since it was predicted that a child would overthrow the empire. Moses was given one more chance to prove his innocence. A bowl of money and a brazier with embers were placed before him. Unaware of the danger, the little child put a flickering coal in his mouth, proving his innocence.

The painting here shows Moses playing with the crown, before the incident mentioned above. Most often, the phase afterwards is shown, namely the infant Moses trampling on the pharaoh's crown.