Moses and the Tables of the Law
A slightly larger-than-life man raises two stone plaques above his head. The gesture seems explosive, but his face expresses less fury than worry. Rembrandt thus maintains the image between two moments: breaking the first Tables or presenting the second.
Does Moses really break the Tables?
The traditional title describes Moses discovering the Hebrews around the Golden Calf and raising the Tables before smashing them. This reading is supported by a first composition, now hidden, in which the plates were further thrown back: the position clearly suggested the momentum of the break.
But Rembrandt corrected the gesture. In the final state, the Tables are erected almost vertically above the head, as if Moses were presenting them. His face appears worried rather than carried away. The work can therefore also evoke the return with the second Tables after the people's forgiveness. Ambiguity is not a weakness: it concentrates anger, law, rupture and reconciliation in a single image.
A biblical figure almost larger than life
Rembrandt
Signed and dated "Rembrandt f. 1659".
Oil on canvas
A surface worked by impasto, rework and darkened glazes.
168.1 × 136.5 cm
The size brings Moses' body closer to that of the visitor.
Gemäldegalerie
Berlin, inventory 811; transfer of royal castles in 1829 -1830.
Two descents from Sinai, two possible readings
The first Tables
Moses receives the commandments on Mount Sinai. On his way back down, he discovers the people dancing around the Golden Calf.
The breakup
Seized with anger, he throws the Tables and breaks them at the foot of the mountain. The gesture materializes the violated alliance.
The second Tables
After punishment and repentance, Moses goes back up. He returns with new Tables and a face described as radiant.
Rembrandt does not only paint an angry man: he paints the weight of a law that can be received, betrayed, broken and then restored.
Four choices that project Moses towards us
Strength passes through the arms, but doubt remains on the face
The elbows are open, the forearms tense and the hands grip plates whose weight we feel. However, the gesture is not perfectly readable mechanics. Moses does not arch like an athlete about to throw an object; he seems to support, show and hold everything at once.
This contrast gives depth to the scene. The body carries the energy of the Exodus story, while the face refuses simplified anger. The eyes, folds of the forehead and slightly open mouth construct an expression of pain, worry and responsibility.
A decisive correction
The technical study reported by the Gemäldegalerie reveals a first position of the Tables more inclined towards the rear. The final modification slows down the movement and opens the possibility of a solemn presentation.
The face and the stone tell two different stories
Rembrandt does not treat the commandments as a simple decorative motif
The Gemäldegalerie emphasizes that the Hebrew inscription is reproduced with remarkable precision. Rembrandt knew Amsterdam as a place of circulation of Jewish languages, books and scholars. However, it is not enough to automatically deduce the intervention of a specific advisor: what the web demonstrates above all is the methodical attention paid to the text.
| Element | Observation | Visual effect |
|---|---|---|
| Darkstone | The Tables form two heavy masses above the body. | The law appears as a real weight, not as an abstraction. |
| Clear writing | The signs cut out the mineral surface. | The gaze oscillates between reading and contemplation of the material. |
| Two plates | They are separate but carried in a single gesture. | Symmetry stabilizes an action that is nevertheless uncertain. |
| Vertical position | Tables are set in final condition. | The gesture can be read as presentation as well as destruction. |
Why does Moses seem almost "horned"?
In Latin tradition, a translation problem has long associated Moses' radiant face with horns. Many medieval and resurgent images therefore literally show him horned.
Rembrandt discreetly takes up this heritage without adding any supernatural attributes: the locks above the forehead form two points evoking horns, while the light on the face retains the idea of radiation.
A coherent ambiguity
If the light refers to the radiant face after the second Tables are handed over, it reinforces the reading of a presentation. If the arms announce the rupture, the hair maintains the link with the whole story of Moses.
The painting was once more colorful
The almost monochrome appearance we know is not entirely that of 1659. The Gemäldegalerie explains that certain pigments have grayed out and the varnish has yellowed. The coat must have notably presented a more intense purple. There current monumentality therefore rests on browns, blacks and stone, but the original work offered more vivid chromatic contrasts.
Muted purple
A previously more intense color helped to loosen the silhouette.
Warm light
Face and hands concentrate the character's humanity.
Black Brown
The Tables absorb light and make their weight almost tactile.
Dark depth
It removes any secondary narrative cues and amplifies presence.
Two images to place the character in his story
Moses with the Tables of the Law
A vertical and powerful composition, particularly suitable for a high wall, a bookcase or a space where the figure can be seen slightly below.
Reproduction helps maintain the contrasts between the dark stone, the lit skin tones and the deep tones of the coat.
See reproductionExplore RembrandtFAQ about Moses and the Tables of the Law
When did Rembrandt paint this picture?
In 1659, ten years before his death. The painting belongs to its late period.
Does Moses break the Tables or present them?
The first composition clearly suggested the break. The final, more vertical position and the concerned expression also make the presentation of the second Tables possible.
Where's original?
At the Gemäldegalerie des Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, under inventory number 811.
What are its dimensions?
168.1 × 136.5 cm. The figure is therefore slightly larger than life.
Are Hebrew letters fanciful?
No. The museum emphasizes the great precision of the inscription, proof of the care taken by Rembrandt.
Why does Moses' hair look like horns?
Rembrandt adapts in a naturalistic way a long iconographic tradition born from the Latin translation of the "radiant" face of Moses.
Was the picture still as brown?
No. The graying of pigments and the yellowing of the varnish attenuated the colors; the coat was notably more purple.
Is there a reproduction in the store?
Yes. The hand painted reproduction is linked directly in this article.
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