The Finding of Moses (After Paolo Veronese)
Drawing on paper, laid down onto a secondary support • Attributed to Giovanni Battista Crosato (Italian, 1686-1758), after Paolo Veronese (Italian, 1528-1588)
Style & Movement
Venetian Rococo and Late Baroque
Medium & Technique
Pen and brown ink with grey wash on laid paper
Creation Period
Mid-18th Century (c. 1730-1750)
Dimensions & Format
39 x 28 cm; Vertical (portrait) format; arched top composition line
Subject Description
A narrative scene from the Old Testament showing Pharaoh's daughter and her attendants discovering the infant Moses in a basket along the Nile. The composition focuses on the left-side detail of Veronese's famous interpretation of the subject, featuring elegant female figures in contemporary 16th-century Venetian dress and a dwarf with a hound in the lower left foreground.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Good to Fair; stable but showing signs of age and secondary mounting
Estimated Market Value
$1,800 - $3,000 USD
Auction Estimate
$1,200 - $2,500 USD
Provenance History
With Abbott & Holder, London; Private Collection, UK. Bears inscription verso and dealer labels on backing.
Art Historical Significance
Significant as a record of 18th-century Venetian artists' fascination with their Renaissance predecessors. Crosato's adaptation of Veronese shows the continuity of the Venetian colorist tradition and the 'Grand Manner.' The presence of a hidden drawing ('The Holy Family') on the underlying layer adds scholarly interest.
Notable Features
Arched composition line suggesting a design for a specific architectural space or altarpiece; verso inscription identifying the artist; Abbott & Holder label; underlying drawing of 'The Holy Family' mentioned in documentation.
Condition Issues
Slight foxing and surface dirt; a horizontal crease/join line across the center; some fading of the grey wash; drawing is laid down onto another sheet, which may cause tension or acidity issues over time.
Conservation Recommendations
Professional cleaning to mitigate foxing; check acidity of backing card; mount using reversible archival hinges; display under UV-filtering glass in a climate-controlled environment.
Collector Notes
Attributed to Giovanni Battista Crosato, after Paolo Veronese, Italian 1686-1758, and Italian 1528-1588- The Finding of Moses; pen, brown ink, and grey wash on laid paper, bears inscription 'VENETIAN / GIOVANNI BATTISTA CROSATO / 1686-1758' verso, bears Abbott & Holder label inscribed 'Attributed to Giovanni Battista Crosato / (1695-1756) / 'The Finding of Moses' / Pen ink + wash drawing laid down on another drawing by the artist of / the Holy Family / After: Veronese (left side of picture in / Gemalde Gallerie Dresden. See T. Pignatti + / F Pedrocco 'Veronese' 1991 no 184' attached to the backing card, 39 x 28 cm. Provenance: with Abbott & Holder, London, Ltd. Private Collection, UK. Note: The present drawing is a copy after a detail from a composition treated by Veronese and his studio on at least eight occasions. These include Veronese's paintings in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden [Gal.-Nr. 229] and in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon [CA 13]. The Venetian painter Crosato is best known for his frescoes, and was highly influenced by Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734) and Jacopo Amigoni (c.1685-1752). Indeed, a similar approach to the present work is evident in Crosato's study of 'Angels and Putti' in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.