Moses and the Daughters of Jethro

Francesco Monti 1685 - 1768

Summary

According to Exodus 2. 15-22, Moses fought off a group of belligerent shepherds, who were trying to prevent the seven daughters of Jethro from watering their flock. Moses later married one of the daughters, Zipporah. Moses can be seen on the right of the picture, attacking one of the shepherds, who is lying before him on the ground, while another flees. On the left, the seven daughters of Jethro are grouped in a variety of attitudes around the well, with Zipporah in the middle in a blue robe, gesturing to Moses' bravery. Monti was a renowned Bolognese painter, who became Principal of the Accademia Clementina in Bologna in 1725. From 1726-27, he was involved, with Marco Ricci, in painting a series of fanciful tombs of Englishmen, commissioned by Owen McSwiny. After 1737 he was based at Brescia, where he became the leading decorative painter of the period, but he also worked at Bergamo and Cremona. The composition echoes Poussin's treatment of this subject.