Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639) The Finding of Moses
Pharaoh's daughter, dressed in a magnificent yellow gown, has just discovered the infant Moses in a basket on the River Nile. Moses's sister comes forward and suggests that her mother, standing behind her, might nurse him. This biblical narrative was commissioned by Charles I of England for his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, perhaps to celebrate the birth of their son, the future Charles II. It originally hung in the Queen's House at Greenwich, on the banks of the River Thames. This location is reflected in the lush green landscape, which is far more reminiscent of England than Egypt where the story is set.