Pharaoh's Daughter with Her Attendants and Moses in the Reed Basket

The Finding of Moses was a popular theme in painting. It had previously been depicted by several Italian masters, among them Raphael and Veronese. It was also illustrated by several 17th-century Dutch artists. The figures in Jan de Bray's representation are, however, far larger. They form dominant elements in the composition and emerge as such distinct personalities that it can be assumed De Bray had merely used the subject as a pretext to paint a group portrait.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 5 minutes): Gioacchino Rossini: Moses, Moses' Prayer