Moses views the Promised Land

Frederic Leighton

Produced after 1863, but not published until 1880–81

Proof wood engraving cut by the Dalziel Brothers, printed on India paper

9 x 5¼ inches

Illustration in Dalziels’ Bible Gallery

An imposing image of Moses viewing the land given by God to the Israelites (Book of Numbers 27: 12). Moses is depicted as the archetypical wise sage, with a flowing beard and intent gaze. The design’s monumentality recalls the emphasis on powerful single figures in Pre-Raphaelite illustration, and Leighton amplifies the plangent moment by placing Moses against a brooding sky – the sign of God’s elemental presence, and a prefigurative emblem of the travails yet to come.

Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke. [Click on image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

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