Moses with the Tables of the Law 1590 - 1600

This is Jacques de Gheyn the Second's "Moses with the Tables of the Law", a print made in the late 16th or early 17th century. De Gheyn was working during a time when the boundaries between science, religion, and art were especially porous. Here, Moses is surrounded by allegorical figures referencing both the Old and New Testaments. The composition seems to literally embody the idea of a bridge between two religious traditions. De Gheyn’s print participates in a visual dialogue, presenting an image of religious and cultural identity that attempts to reconcile disparate traditions. Consider how the image negotiates the complex intersections of religious history, and how artists like de Gheyn grappled with representing these themes during the Reformation. The figures almost seem caught between worlds, their expressions a mixture of reverence and uncertainty.