The National Gallery in London acquires a masterpiece by Orazio Gentileschi, the Finding of Moses

A big deal for the National Gallery in London, which is buying a masterpiece by Orazio Gentileschi (Pisa, 1563 - London, 1639), the Finding of Moses: for the London museum, it is a “Christmas present for the nation.” The work was purchased for 22 million pounds: the last two million was raised through a public subscription that the National Gallery launched last November asking everyone (complete with the hashtag #SaveOrazio) to donate whatever they could to reach that two million pounds short of the purchase. The appeal was successful, the public contributed, and the museum was able to buy the important painting. Horace’s canvas thus joins another recent Gentilesque acquisition, albeit by his daughter Artemisia: last year, in fact, the National Gallery had acquired a self-portrait of the painter.

The Finding of Moses will now be on public display: the work, moreover, plays an important role in English art history in that it was painted by Horace for England’s King Charles I during the Pisan artist’s stay in London. The canvas was meant to celebrate the birth of the future King Charles II and was destined for Queen’s House in Greenwich. The painting recounts the biblical theme of the birth of Moses, who had been placed in a basket by his mother and hidden in some bushes to save him from certain death, since the Pharaoh of Egypt had issued an edict that all newborn children of the Hebrews were to be killed. Moses was found on the banks of the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter, who took him to the palace.The work depicts the moment when Pharaoh’s daughter, who had adopted baby Moses, entrusts the infant, at the invitation of his older sister Miriam, to the care of his birth mother. The painting is characterized by the bright colors, precious materials, and realistic rendering of sumptuous fabrics that characterized Gentileschi’s production for the court of England.

The work, after several vicissitudes, had ended up among the possessions of a private collector who decided, however, to lend it to the National Gallery for almost twenty years-a period so long that many thought the work belonged to the museum. Also because it is a very famous work, having been published on several occasions, plus it has been featured in exhibitions, events, and conferences, precisely because of its importance in Orazio Gentileschi’s career and its role as a masterpiece of the London period. So, acquisition was, for the National Gallery, a priority, at least since 1995, when it first sought to acquire it. Help also came from agencies and foundations: £2.5 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, £1 million from the Art Fund, £8.5 million from the American Friends of The National Gallery, and £5 million from The National Gallery Trust.

“This beautiful painting,” said Nicky Morgan, England’s minister of culture, “will now be on permanent display so that the present and future generations can study it, admire it, and be inspired by it. I congratulate the National Gallery and all those who offered their help to make this happen.”

“Gentileschi’s masterpiece,” says Peter Luff, chairman of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, “is an important piece of our national heritage because of its compelling story. Millions of people have had the pleasure of admiring it over the past two decades at the National Gallery in London, and the Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund agree that helping to secure its future was a vitally important step. We are delighted that the National Gallery purchased the painting, because this transaction ensures that millions more people in the future will be able to appreciate this example of Orazio Gentileschi’s work and its historical importance.”

"The Finding of Moses by Orazio Gentileschi," says Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, “is a splendid and epic masterpiece, which the Art Fund supported with £1 million, a figure that places our contribution among the very few of this size that we have given. Our enthusiasm of course is shared by all those who donated in response to the National Gallery’s appeal. Together we have secured the work its place on the walls of the National Gallery where all will be able to admire it forever.”

Image: Orazio Gentileschi, The Finding of Moses (1930s; oil on canvas, 257 x 301 cm; London, National Gallery)

The National Gallery in London acquires a masterpiece by Orazio Gentileschi, the Finding of Moses

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