Italian school of the first half of the 19th century

Italian school of the first half of the 19th century.
"Moses treading on Pharaoh's crown", 1830-1840.
Oil on canvas.
Attached study issued by the art historian Lauretn Stevens, year 2024.
Measurements: 140 x 178 cm; 167 x 206 cm (frame).

The episode of Moses' life presented in this canvas, rare in painting, narrates the moment when Moses as a child tramples the crown that Pharaoh has previously placed on his head. On the right, the priests are indignant, interpreting this gesture as a bad omen. One of them, dressed in a green robe, unsheathes his sword to kill the child. Thermutis (Moses' adoptive mother and Pharaoh's daughter) jumps up to take Moses in her arms. The pharaoh remains calm and appeases the priests with a gesture. The painter has chosen a composition reminiscent of many of the Judgments of Solomon. The sovereign stands in the center, seated on his throne, and resolves the situation with a calm gesture. The parties are placed on either side: the priests on the right and the pharaoh's daughter and her retinue on the left. The motif of the mother with her child in her arms also appears. In his study Laurent Stevens, art historian, indicates "From the stylistic point of view, we are at the beginning of romantic art, in a troubadour style adorned with some accessories and motifs of ancient Egypt. We are still far from the painters who would give an archaeological vision of Egypt. We are in the years 1830-1840, in Italian school that developed around Francesco Hayez (1791-1882). Our painting is similar to the work of Cherubino Cornienti (1816 - 1860), who also painted a picture of the same subject. It is also close to the work of Francesco Saverio Altamura (1822 - 1897).