The Finding of Moses

A beautifully composed depiction of one of the Bible’s most powerful origin stories: the moment Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the infant Moses among the reeds of the Nile, unknowingly saving the child who would one day lead his people to freedom.
Painted by Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Willaerts, a contemporary of Rembrandt, the scene unfolds with clarity and quiet drama. Pharaoh’s daughter, richly dressed and attended, stands in contrast to her maidservants, whose gestures of surprise and tenderness draw our attention to the child himself, small, vulnerable, and already central to the story.
Set within a gently structured landscape of trees, water and distant architecture, the composition balances narrative detail with symbolism. The Nile flows calmly into the distance, a quiet reminder of the journey that has just begun.
Both elegant and deeply human, the painting captures a moment where chance, compassion, and destiny meet.
Provenance: Sir Harvey Collection, London (1916); Countess of Craven sale, Sotheby’s London (1969); Nadeau’s, Connecticut (2019); Newport, Rhode Island estate (until 2024)