Moses Brought Before Pharaoh's Daughter

Moses Brought Before Pharaoh's Daughter

During the 18th century, landscape became increasingly popular. Additionally, a new interest was placed on history painting. These pieces usually depict a moment in a story which were often moments in religious narratives. This particular piece by Hogarth depicts Moses being given away by his birth mother to the Egyptian princess, his new adopted mother. We don’t see a lot of religious works during this time, as the Anglican Church has become lax and complacent during the 18th century. Unlike previous centuries, religion was respected and tensions between religious groups were not high. Thus, interest in religion during this time was more academic and pragmatic. Although a religious piece, Hogarth does not use this moment to depict morals values, but rather to allude to the themes of childhood, charity, and adoption. This piece was given to the Foundling Hospital, and is one of Hogarth’s more uplifting pieces. His other pieces tended to focus on satire, and dark humor to point out the flaws of society.

William Hogarth

https://www.wikiart.org/en/william-hogarth/moses-brought-before-pharaoh-s-daughter-1746

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/moses-brought-before-pharaohs-daughter-191926

1746

Claire Guang

Public Domain