LEYDEN, Lucas van
(b. 1494, Leiden, d. 1533, Leiden)

Worshipping of the Golden Calf (detail)

c. 1530
Oil on panel
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Moses is depicted twice in the central panel. First he appears as a minuscule figure kneeling on a rocky overhang surrounded by black clouds, and then he is seen slightly lower down the mountain, this time accompanied by his servant, discovering the idolatry of the people and throwing down the stone tablets in fury. Below that in the middle, still in the background, is a small orchestra on the left, elated couples dancing around the calf, and on the right a group among the trees engaged in a round dance.