The Finding of Moses
The National Gallery of Victoria has a dilemma right now. A much better dilemma than the discovery last year that its prized Van Gogh was not a Van Gogh, but a dilemma nevertheless. "Restoration work begun on a painting by 18th century Italian artist Sebastiano Ricci appears to confirm what some Italian scholars have maintained all along - that the painting is in fact a masterpiece by the great 18th century Venetian painter Giambattista Tiepolo. But NGV director Gerard Vaughan was yesterday cautious about upgrading The Finding of Moses."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/holy-moses-ngv-unravels-a-mighty-whodunit/2008/03/27/1206207302421.html
2 comments:
Wow! Great painting!
But it is also hillarious. It is a perfect example of Europeans interpreting Egyptians as Europeans.
If I dod not know any better I never would have guessed this was acting out the story of Moses.
The guy in the pantaloons... It is obvious this guy had ZERO concept of what Egypt actually looked like.
BUT... as a work it is a beautiful example of a great Italian artist.
Which one? Hmmm. Good question. I hope the experts get a definitive answer.
You're right - I thought it odd and couldn't work out why. Excellent though - regardless of actual artist.
This happened in Australia with the earliest settlers who were artists. I don't think there was a single eucalypt in the earliest landscapes. All very European.
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